Stock Up on Saint Costumes 

Katie Fitzgerald suggests simple additions families can make to their dress-up collections to facilitate easy All Saints Day costumes.  

The All Saints Day scramble  

Are you always scrambling in October to find a costume for All Saints Day? We have never specifically bought a costume just for All Saints Day (or for Halloween for that matter), but we do have a robust collection of dress-up clothes that gives us some decent options. If you’d like to develop your own dress-up wardrobe that lends itself to some excellent saint costumes, I have some recommendations.  

Play silks or scarves 

We have a set of play silks dyed in a variety of colors: green, red, yellow, blue, and purple. When it comes to saint costumes, these can be used in myriad ways. Draped over shoulders, they become robes for royal saints. Tied around waists, they become aprons for saints who were shepherds or tradesmen. Worn across the chest, they are sashes. Tied under the chin, they are kerchiefs. Resting on the head, they are habits or veils. They also work great as swaddling clothes for a baby doll for a child who wishes to portray the Blessed Mother, Saint Elizabeth of the Visitation, or Saint Joseph.  

Tiaras and crowns   

A good number of saints were kings and queens, princes and princesses. By wearing a crown on his or her head, a child can easily transform into Saint Edward the Confessor or Saint Louis IX of France, Saint Adelaide of Italy, or Saint Elizabeth of Portugal. A crown is also a great way to portray the Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven. If you have several crowns, you have the three kings. The nice thing about crowns, too, is that when all else fails, you can make them out of paper!  

Old clothes and sheets  

Some of our favorite saint costumes involve repurposed fabric. A few years ago, we cut arm and head holes in an old brown sheet, giving us the possibility of dressing as Saint Joseph, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint John the Baptist, or Padre Pio. An oversized white tee shirt became a robe or dress that could easily transform a child into Saint Lucy, Saint Patrick, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Saint Joan of Arc, or Saint George. (For those last two, all you need is two pieces of red construction paper to tape to the front of the shirt in the shape of a cross, and you’re set!)  

Props from the playroom  

Toys you already have on hand make great props that can turn a generic costume into an instantly recognizable depiction of a beloved saint. Stuffed animals are great for this. Hand a little girl a stuffed lamb, and she suddenly becomes Saint Agnes. A stuffed dragon suits Saint Margaret of Antioch, Saint George, or Saint Michael. A unicorn toy is perfect for Saint Justina of Padua. A bird or wolf lends itself perfectly to a Saint Francis costume.   

Other toys work great too. A little girl carrying a doctor kit and a baby doll and/or wearing a stethoscope will be unmistakably recognized as Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, while a boy with a toolbox can only be Saint Joseph the Worker.  

Simple is still fun 

Elaborate costumes can be great. I would love to eventually have a priest costume and maybe a miter. But dressing in costume for All Saints Day doesn’t have to be stressful, expensive, or a lot of work. By adding these staples to your dress-up collection, you’ll always have a variety of options available to you and you’ll be able to avoid the last-minute scramble of deciding which saint each child will portray.

Have fun getting creative — and enjoy learning about the saints with your kids! All holy men and women, pray for us!  

Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2024 Katie Fitzgerald
Images: Canva