What are your kids going to be for Halloween?

Halloween is a bit of a religion at our house. It's my husband’s favourite holiday and my kids are happy to indulge his every whim, including — but not limited to — indoor and outdoor homemade decorations (headless zombies, ghosts made from old clothes, sheets and broomsticks, crosses built from tree limbs and twine), store bought lights, tombstones and cobwebs, a sound system broadcasting scary sounds and even a dry ice machine. There is also a battery operated “hand” a la The Addams Family that he puts into the big kids’ trick or treat bowl. (Clearly, Jay is the biggest kid of them all.)

But the real fun involves our family-themed costumes. So far, we have been the gang from Scooby Doo, traditional monsters (witches, vampires, etc.), Star Wars characters and medieval royalty.

Themes that haven’t quite made the cut: Harry Potter (all three boys wanted to be Harry), The Three Amigos (not enough female characters) and fairy tale characters (not enough “cool” factor, according to my critics).

The only requests I have are that we all agree on the theme and everyone hangs around long enough for a photo to be taken on our front porch. (That photo turns into our holiday card.) We don’t win any awards for my craftsmanship — our costumes are usually a combo of DIY and dollar store finds — but we really are quite proud of our tradition.

Pleasing everyone is not easy! Milla is old enough to go trick or treating with her friends, so she changes into a different costume before she heads out. Last year the only way I could get Theo to agree to be a Black Knight was if he could change into a Black Ninja costume before going door to door, so I agreed.

I can’t tell you what we’re going to be this year, but stay tuned…!

If you are still looking for ideas, check out our Halloween Headquarters. And, in case you missed it on newsstands, you can still get the iPad edition of the October issue of Today’s Parent on iTunes.

Cityline will air their Halloween special on Wednesday, October 31, 2012. Karine will showcase fun Halloween costumes for kids and decorate delicious bat cupcakes.