HALLOWEEN COSTUMES ONLINE at the NATIONAL CHAINS

Halloween is that time of secret delight at being a kid; age doesn't matter. We get to play dress up in public with no cares except to have fun.

Our children were very interactive with their costume development. Gene Simmons might have had a difficult time walking in the wooden shoes that Dan nailed together when he was fairly young but Dan was delighted with his creation.

My favorite costume was assembled the year he decided that he was too old to go out on Beggar's Night and then changed his mind as the Trick or Treaters arrived. There was a mad scramble to find briefcases but with the black slacks, ties, white shirts, trench coats and shades, he and his best friend became the Blues Brothers in about 20 minutes.

For this article we checked a few of the local stores where everyone goes at the last minute and were surprised at the selections available from some. We checked all online. We also noticed that Abby Cadabby was almost out of stock at Target. Only two complete packages left at the closest store and no accessories.

The local Walgreens actually had nicer costumes than we've seen in the past but in all three nearby stores, the accessories section was limited. Planning to to buy a special child's costume? Don't wait too long. Although there are plenty of costumes out there, sizing availability can be problematic. You may have to spend some time searching for the accessories although all can be found online but not necessarily from the same store. The best selection of Abby Cadabby style wings and wand was found at our neighboring supermarket. If you're going to make the costume, you'll want to check the assortment of old standards and the latest idols.

And if you create something really unique, stop at our house, treat us to a view and I'll have the dog perform a trick If you are doing extreme makeup, you might not find everything you need at home (black nail polish for example) and the best places to buy may not be the stores listed below but for the regular Halloween makeup kit you will find what you need.

Here are the familiar national stores in no particular order: