What's your Halloween plan for your kilt?

[Mike M.]

After the teenagers got into the act, I turned the lights off. Permanently.

[Drwill4]

We are just staying home and handing out candy to the neighborhood kids. Normally a few of the neighbors come over and we all sit on our front porch with a few drinks and hand the candy out in a group.

Before reading this thread I had planned on wearing a kilt just because it's what I do most often at home. It didn't have anything to do with Halloween or costumes.

Now though after reading the thread I began to reconsider because of the costume misinterpretation issue. I decided however to go ahead and wear it. I do not wear it traditionally but rather as a simple alternative to pants. I don't even own a set of hose and have rarely worn a kilt at my natural waist line. Not to say I won't but just haven't yet as I wear it for comfort and so far a natural waist isn't comfortable.

For me it basically boils down to I'll wear a kilt when and if I want and do not see a need to correct other people's assumptions about my relationship with said garment. If I was concerned about what other people think about me and a kilt, I would never have strapped one on in the first place. If someone by chance asks me what I'm dressed up as, my answer will be "A Comfortable Man."

Regards,

Don

[Wareyin]

Knowing Lochaber and the western Highlands more generally, that makes perfect sense Jock. My parents also grew up with war-time and post-war shortages (rationing wasn't finally over until 1954), and many of these traditions we were brought up with were passed down from my grandparents and great-aunts generation, plus we lived in suburban Lanarkshire (just outside Glasgow) where scontact with neighbours was simpler and easier, as I discovered after moving to a rural community in the Borders (Roxburghshire) when I was a raw lad of 16.

I traced my family back to Lanarkshire! Scottish census records even give me the address of 2 generations in the 1800s.

[SeumasA]

... At a guess we covered about 12 miles over rough ground at heights ranging from 250 ft to just over 2500 ft. I was rather surprised with myself, but my oh my, did I suffer for the next few days!

I know we're way off topic, but....
That's a pretty good ramble for us older guys (I'm 58 BTW), especially with the elevation changes. I live at about 4500 ft. elevation so it doesn't take much effort to get the heart pumping. I work far too many hours at what many people consider to be an extremely stressful job. Running helps me shed that stress and get myself ready to face the day.
Just to keep this somewhat kilt related, here I am showing off the T-shirt I got for competing in the kilted mile at our local games. We won't discuss my time, other than to brag that I was the first old fart to cross the finish line, and third place overall.

[Chip2]

It's so different now, with kids being taken around by their parents to get pre-packaged candy, and no pranks for non-givers. Many churches hold Halloween events to keep kids off the streets. We've seen the number of kids who come around to the door steadily decline, from a steady stream in the 60s to a handful today. Sad.

That could just be the neighborhood growing older.

My house is a 1/4 mile down a dirt road from a pretty tightly packed development, so last year MsChip and I dressed up, grabbed a bag of candy, and went walking to hand it out to the trick-or-treaters. We only saw one group, but stopped and talked with a few folks who said the number of kids in the area is dwindling, and that the place is just getting older, but hopefully not crotchedier.

[MGMorrison]

Speaking only for my family: my grandfather, father, my sons and I never thought of our tartans as costumes.

We are proud to wear them and enjoy kilting up. We are not pretending to "dress up" and be someone else.

On the flip side, we are not super invested in the "seriousness" of wearing the kilt.

It is just "us".

As this is a non judgemental group- I am curious- how many kilt up in the States for Halloween?
The OP makes a good point- is it a common thing?

MGM

[OC Richard]

Not really on-topic, but here's my costume this year. I had to learn how to tie a bow tie!

[Profane James]

Professor Jones!

[Thekiltedmohawk]

We need to find an Indiana Jones for him!

[OC Richard]

It is cool when you can just grab stuff out of your closet and it looks like a costume.

I did pick up the correct Harris Tweed hat, used, on Ebay for $15 and the correct bow-tie (black with brown dots). The rest needs work, for example the jacket and vest are wrong, nice vintage Harris Tweed things though they be. He actually wears a taupe/brown plain tweed 3-piece suit.

That's the temptation when you have kilts in the closet: you need Fancy Dress and you have all that stuff already... so easy, too easy, just to grab your Scottish outfit out of the closet and head off to your Halloween party!