Started Planning Super Early for 2020
Okay, so Halloween 2020 was looking weird. Everything was shut down, parties felt risky, but me? I still wanted some fun. Saw this costume contest idea pop up and thought, “Why not?” Figured sharing what actually works could help others stuck at home. Went online immediately, stared at my screen for hours. Big problem: Amazon delivery was crawling, costume shops seemed sketchy with the whole situation, and honestly? Budget was tight.
What Actually Worked (and What Didn’t)
Researched those “2020 Winner” lists everyone was posting. Noticed a pattern right away: simple, homemade stuff was killing it. Nobody had fancy store-bought pieces shipped overnight. Started brainstorming things I could make with junk around my apartment:
- Tried the “Wine Mom” idea. Grabbed an old bathrobe, messy bun tutorial off YouTube, and glued a cardboard wine glass to my hand. Took 20 minutes tops.
- Experimented with “Zoom Call Formal.” Found a blazer in the back of my closet, paired it with pajama bottoms. Hilarious? Kinda. Low effort? Absolutely.
- Failed spectacularly at “Mysterious Box Ghost.” Cut holes in a big box, painted it poorly, tried to walk. Fell over twice trying to get through the bathroom door. Abandoned mission.
Key lesson learned: Skip anything needing complex movement or actual craftsmanship. That “Crumpled Paper Ball” winner? Genius. Literally just balled up a million pages from the recycling bin and duct taped myself. Looked terrible but got huge laughs on the group video call.
Throwing Together the Winner Vibes
Ended up doing two looks for different video parties. Went practical:
- Half-Baked Chef: Flour all over an apron, fake (terrible) mustache drawn with eyeliner, holding a spoon and looking stressed. Used props I already owned.
- That Person Who Always Wears the Same Hoodie: …which was just me. Wore my ancient hoodie, messy hair. Threw the word “2020” on a piece of paper and taped it to my chest. Felt super lazy, but everyone instantly got it.
Reality check: Forget Hollywood. Focus on relatable, funny concepts that work waist-up on a screen. Makeup smudged? Good. Outfit slightly confusing? Even better. It was all about recognizable vibes over perfection.
Party Night? More Like Glitch Night
Logging into the video call felt like entering a bizarre, pixelated parade. Saw plenty of disasters – cat ears falling off, “alien antennae” made from tin foil drooping. My “chef” eyeliner stache was melting halfway through. The actual winners? People who didn’t take it too seriously. Dude who wore a traffic cone on his head (“Construction Zone”) killed it. Another just held a giant novelty banana in front of the camera. Simple won.
By midnight, everyone looked exhausted and their outfits were falling apart. My hoodie “look” was basically me just being me. Still got cheers. Proof that Halloween 2020 wasn’t about looking good. It was about laughing at the mess and doing whatever felt possible.
Final takeaway: Forget complicated. Raid your closet, grab the cardboard box or the weird fruit, embrace the low-effort humor. In a year that made zero sense, the best costumes matched perfectly.