In recent years, I've somehow distanced myself from dressing up for Halloween. Partly because I've found it to be such an ordeal finding the right costume - usually at the last minute, and also because I'm just not as drunkenly festive as I was in my younger years. Maybe your guy is the same way, or is slightly uncomfortable with getting into the 'scream of things.'
Here are a few tactics that might be helpful:
Lure him with sexy costumes.
Whenever Halloween rolls around now, I find that people always bring up that now-classic scene from Mean Girls, where the girls explain to Lindsay Lohan that it's the one holiday that gives women an excuse to dress provocatively. And if you've spent even one minute online or in the costume section of your favorite store, then you've undoubtedly noticed that the women's costumes tend to be on the skimpy side. From the "sexy taxi cab driver" to the "sexy lower court district judge," I've never seen so many seemingly mundane professions get the miniskirt makeover. And there's a reason for that: guys love it. Wearing a sexy costume might be just enough incentive for him to want to join you on a 'spooktacular' adventure- especially if you dress up in something that he can easily match-up with. The Situation and Snookie perhaps?
Which bring us to the next tactic...
Make him feel "badass".
Thanks to Mad Men, sixties swank has been wildly popular the past Halloween seasons, but let's face it: not every guy can pull off the Don Draper look. Many guys generally shy away from costumes because they don't want to look or feel stupid. Just like many ladies strive to look "cute" in a costume, their male counterparts yearn to look "cool". I've never quite recovered from my fourth grade "Cousin It" costume, when every other kid in the class was wielding a lightsaber. Even with a potbelly, a guy can fell pretty badass as a caped crusader, especially if he's got a Wonder Woman at his side. But not everything has to be sexy! There's a lot to be said for clever and fun outfits. For example: If your guy is a sports nut or a fan of a particular team, then going as a cheerleader or a hard-core stadium fan would be an easy and endearing idea and might get him in on the action - especially since he may already own part of the garb and already feel like a bit of an sports authority. If you're looking to dress up a couple, then a cool flipside idea would be to go as members of the hated, rival team - maybe even as zombies. Basically, adding "zombies" to any half-concocted idea takes everything up an extra notch. Zombie Situation and Zombie Snookie perhaps?
Remind him it's for the kids.
If your guy doesn't get into Halloween dress-up because he thinks it's childish, then remind him that he's letting down 'the kids'. Your little guy would feel so much more like Batman or Iron Man if he had his Daddy joining him as one of their trusted butler's Alfred or Jeeves during the trick-or-treat outing. And your tiny Dorothy would be clicking those ruby slippers with so much more enthusiasm if she had a Tin Man or Scarecrow beside her. It's not about how foolish he might look in a Tigger costume, but about living some classic moments that your young Winnie the Pooh will always remember. It's all about building lasting memories. And don't worry, if you don't have kids, then he can still make an impression as the guy that scared the heck out of all neighborhood children foolish enough to ring that doorbell.
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