In the guest room closet, there are two big plastic bins: our costume boxes. They hold an assortment of hats, masks and clothes that we use for dress up days at school or any time someone needs a costume.

We pulled them out at the beginning of this week for my high school junior to cobble together outfits for Spirit Week.  The contents were spread over the queen-size bed and picked through every morning as he was putting the finishing touches on the day’s look.  I put them away today.

There’s a top hat, beard and tuxedo jacket that made a great Abraham Lincoln one year, and a rubber mask that looks like an old man–so realistic it’s creepy. There’s a tall green Goofy hat, a Jack Sparrow pirate hat complete with dreads, and Mickey Mouse ears from a Disneyland trip.

Three graduation gowns are in there, a red one, a yellow one and a black one from various graduations. My husband brought back a kimono from a trip to Japan; it has never been used as a costume but I keep it  because it would be a great one. A pair of white, feathered angel wings folds in half to store flat until needed.

There are three cowboy hats–two foam and one wool–a leather vest, bandanas and a cap gun.  Martial arts gear–two gees and various color belts–ended up here when they were retired from active use. There’s a billowy bridesmaid’s dress,  a girl scout vest full of badges, and two pairs of suspenders–one in a yellow preppy print, the other in red sequins. The yellow and red striped socks and  shiny beads with peace signs are gone,  currently in use for the final day of Spirit Week.

As I folded and tucked the contents back into their storage boxes, I pictured some of the great combinations that had been made from these pieces, and the fun we had transforming ordinary items into creative outfits.

The contents have changed over the years, from gowns and shoes, used almost daily when the girls were playing house with their play kitchen, to capes and masks for super heroes swooping around the house, to the strange combination of things now.

I’ll keep my costume boxes around for a while–at least until everyone graduates, and maybe longer . You never know when that pink kimono or  a graduation gown will be just the right piece.