Jack is ever in pursuit of a new character to play, and of course, to play a character properly he must look the part. Fortunately for us, this doesn't cost us anything. Jack seems to have been born to repurpose. He loves nothing more than scouring the house for bits and pieces of this-n-that to bring the visions in his mind to life. His costumes are his own concoctions and we're constantly surprised by his creations.
Tis the season to play Santa and Jack has taken to the part with unbridled enthusiasm. He worked on his costume over several days, picking and choosing new ways to present St. Nick in all his Christmas glory until the look was just right.
Santa Take One. His first attempt included a red motocross shirt Auntie Cindi bought him, along with a pair pants from an Anakin Skywalker costume. The suspenders were fashioned from the belt from the aforementioned Skywalker outfit. The hat is an old Dallas Cowboys beanie (positioned "just so") and the beard is a book cover from his brother's third grade text book. Not bad...not bad at all.
Santa Take Two. Jack decided his first beard lacked authenticity, but there was no need to trek to the store for something to do the job. He and I sat down one night and made a white beard from my make-up remover pads (little squares of cotton), rubber bands, and three sheets of white paper glued together for stability. To this, he added his green robe, a brown belt, and a Santa hat from the Christmas decoration box we had stored in the garage.
Santa Take Three. I came home from work to find Jack decked out in his final ensemble. To the brown belt and Santa hat, he added his red, sheep-lined sweat jacket, black cowboy boots and red pants. But wait, Jack doesn't have red pants! Ohhh, I see. He cleverly took the red motocross shirt from his first attempt and turned them into pants. Silly rabbit, who says sleeves only go on arms? Finally, a Santa costume that did Jack proud. Mom, too.
