• Halloween has traditionally meant dressing up as a ghost, goblin, witch, Fankenstein, the wolfman, Dracula or a similar scary character. Cowboys, pirates, princesses and fairies have also long been popular. Recently, however, with the spread of Halloween events for adults, possibilities for costumes have expanded. Basically, anything goes. Here are some categories of themes for Halloween costumes, many of which can be made from items readily found around the house. Before deciding on your costume, you'll want to decide if you want to be readily recognizable or if you're willing to be a character who is relatively obscure. I recommend going for the obscure; it's a better conversation starter.
  
  

Authors and Characters from Books

• Dressing up as a literary figure for Halloween puts a twist on some fairly common costume ideas. With an appropriate hat and curved pipe, you become Sherlock Holmes, not just any English gentleman. Raggedy clothes can make you a bum, but if you add a countrified straw hat, you're suddenly Huck Finn. Since Emily Dickinson just about always wore white, that makes it fairly obvious how to be Emily D. for Halloween. To be Jack Kerouac, the Beat author of the '50s sensation, "On the Road," all you need is a pair of khakis, sneakers and a plaid shirt, preferably tucked in on only one side.
  
  

Celebrities and Movie Characters

• Many people use Halloween to channel their inner Elvis or Marilyn, but there are plenty of less obvious celebrities you can dress up as. Ladies with great legs and short skirts have Tina Turner as an option. Or wear something on the frumpy side under an apron to be Julia Child. A pin-striped suit can turn any guy into a prohibition-era gangster, or more specifically, Al Capone. The right kind of dress and jewelry from a good second-hand shop is all you need to become a flapper. Grab a globe, a top hat and fake moustache, and suddenly you're Charlie Chaplin.
  
  

Just Plain Different

• For costumes in this category you need to put your thinking cap on, because ideally they are pure 'you.' Perhaps there's an aunt Mary or uncle Bob in your family who is a bit of a character and could make a good basis for a costume. Perhaps there's a character in a video game you played as a child you'd like to bring back to life, or maybe some wild idea will just come to you.
  
  Think outside the box. Try wearing a pair of black Levis, a black turtleneck and a cheap costume jewelry tiara on your head. What's that you say? An absent-minded jewel thief, of course..