..."as part of the day it is asked that your child dresses in Victorian clothes" ...

[Smithagain]

... thus reads the request, so casually inserted in an otherwise innocuous letter about a school trip next week.

... oh, and by the way, DD1 also requires white shoes for her play on Tuesday ... and a warm shawl which will look elegant with her fairy godmother costume, without interfering with her wings.

BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANY OF THOSE THINGS!

I thought I was doing so well, having produced a chinese costume from thin air. And the other day DD2's teacher asked if I was OK, because "everyone says you're looking very tired".

I wonder why that might be?

(Ignore me, just a light-hearted, end of term, straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back rant so that I don't take it out on any of the hard-working and dedicated staff that normally have my utmost respect, but are just pushing their luck a teeny, weeny bit with the latest costume requests)

Merry Christmas!

I am starting to feel really luckt now. School normally give you simple suggestions for outfits. This year my dd is a shepherd so I needed dressing gown, tea towel and headband. Unfortunately I had to buy her a new dressing gown. Would have been cheaper to buy a shepherd costume. Ds is Joseph. Only 16 in nursery class and not many boys. School provides costume. Yipee!! Have in past had one or two days notice for pirate Day or WBD which is really annoying though.

World Book Day is 4th March 2010. There, you've had three months' notice. Go and put it in your brand-new diary now.

Galena - you have my complete sympathy. I was in school helping out last week and can see how stressed the teachers are. In fact, teachers are stressed, parents are stressed, children are stressed ....... do we all need to have a long, hard look at the way we tackle Christmas and make some changes?!

Oh - and for the record - fembear no, I was completely oblivious that my daughter would need costume for her school trip, since the original letter about the trip made no mention of it and the requirement came completely out of the blue a week before the event. And senua if only life were so simple. We don't do World Book Day on the actual day, but on some other randomly-selected day that defies prediction, because it fits in better with other things going on in school!

O were is that simple - knowing the day of WBD will not always help either - you have to know that your school are celebrating it on that day. Our School decided to celebrate Book Week in Nov - to coincide with a Book sale.

Snap!

Our school suddenly seems terribly sensible. They have a stock of main nativity character clothes to fit P3 and P7; everyone else is then allocated costume by class so e.g. ds2s class are sheep which involved sending a white top (school t-shirt fine) and grey or black trousers or leggings (school trousers fine) and they have made sheep masks or the like in class. Has been the same model every year just variation on the colours of tops and bottoms depending on the animal or other theme.

2anddone: "I thought where Jesus was born it was supposed to be hot "

I said that once to an Israeli friend in reference to snowy nativity scenes you get on Christmas cards and he said that it does get cold and snow in the Bethlehem area in the winter.

[waiting to use that information for years emoticon]

My ten year old has to have three different outfits for school produtions next week. All of them require a particlar colour of footware.

Youngest dd needs an angel costume "without wings but with the suggestion of wings"

[stomps off mumbling insanely under breath]

minty - love that. The suggestion of wings. What would that be then ... invisible wings that shimmer the palest gold when you flutter them in the light of a full moon?

I made an interesting observation this morning. DD1 is at primary school and each year we are given the instructions for the outfits ... "just take an old cotton sheet, transform it into an angel costume (ankle length), trim it with tinsel" etc etc ... and because there are always some parents who do it, everyone feels they have to do the same ... you feel like you're failing if you buy it instead! DD2 is at nursery (a child care nursery for people who work ... not pre-school) and we all had to bring in their nativity outfits today and I'd say 90% of them were shop bought. Primary school option - huge amount of stress. Nursery - guilt free purchase. I know which I prefer.

PMSL at "with the suggestion of wings".

Perhaps some gossamer-thin wisps, which artistically catch the light as young Jemima trips delicately through the dance of the angels. Grounded, yet ethereal. A merest hint of another dimension.

(Wanders off muttering insanely and hoping she hasn't offended anyone who's child is named Jemima, which is, after all, a perfectly sensible name, selected at random for no particular reason whatsoever.)

just write "wing" on each shouder in black marker?

YES!! Go on - I dare you!

Sorry not had time to read all the messages but much sympathy. We suddenly had to produce a "Creole" costume, the week after I had to find a "Queen's costume" (in lilac, blue or purple - no pink) for "La Marguerite" parade (I live in the Caribbean); this week we have all in white with a santa hat for Christmas concert and a costume party on the last day of term.

OK I thought it was just this school. Now I know I will have to face the same when I go back to the UK.

(goes off to write a mental shopping list for future use - tudor costume, Victorian costume, evacuees...)

Victorian little match girl/ mill girl costume = ragged oversize jumper plus skirt held up with string, safety pins, etc, with leggings underneath. Maybe a scarf. Maybe a kerchief covering her head. Boys are a lot easier to dress.

Long sleeved black t-shirt = plain or inside out black T plus tights legs (feet cut off) to cover arms.

DCs' school did a Christmas thing with white large size plastic bin liners decorated with tinsel for angel costumes, and tinsel halos. They made them themselves in class.

Toga = sheet and lots of safety pins. TIP: Do a bathroom dress and undress rehearsal. Wear something underneath.

at all the very specific requests, though. Parents revolt sorely needed, imo.

dd (year 1) bought a letter home ot tell me that for her costume she needed "a pair of tights, any colour" also "if possible, a named hanger and bag, to keep the costume (provided by school) crease free"

I was so grateful I donated a box of chocolates and a box of mince pies to the pta!!

We are one of the lucky few that attend a school where the staff provide the costumes. I am very appreciative after reading this thread.

One of my proudest moments as a mum was whipping up a Roman centurian's outfit 'for the play tomorrow'. Luckily we already had a sword, as one does, but skirt, sandals, and the piece de resistance, cardboard Roman helmet with ear-flaps. Even DS was impressed . (Hasn't happened since!)

god, this thread is hilarious. I thought I was suffering being asked to produce 2 plates of Plätchen(biscuits) this week. The camel's back would be broken beyond repair by any of these costume requests in our house.
ROFL at "suggestion of wings"
and having to produce a pair of white shoes at the drop of a hat

Just remember that you are nurturing the next generation of British creative geniuses - they dont do all this dressing up in french and german schools, ime.

Yes i got that a bit wrong. It was for Book Week and yes it was November.

Just out of interest has anyone else had to dress their toddler (under two) up for anything or is it just me? It wasn't compulsory but we were strongly recommended (ie all the local children would be dressed up) to get her a creole costume. I did get one as I was buying for her older sister but I have a feeling the person who makes the dressing up rules in this school has never had a toddler.....Luckily I managed to pursuade her into it with bribes/look your sister is wearing one etc....

Clara, my DS stripped off his costume the moment we arrived for his nativity and sobbed 'I'm not an angel I'm a railway engine' and refused to participate. I think he was just three. So I sympathise!

DD2's nursery does lots of dressing up days but it's fairly easy ... it might be come in your pyjamas, or princess/princes, and because it's nursery it really doesn't matter if your child will only go dressed as a ladybird regardless of the theme.

School is the worst in my opinion - had to make a leopard costume over a weekend, then there's the inevitable green days, blue days, etc etc.

Would love to think this was nurturing their creative spirit as per nighbynight's suggestion ... but surely this would only work if they were making the blardy costumes themselves?!

Oh bigs hugs for the little railway engine. I feel his pain!

Thankfully the only request we had from nursery was "a pretty dress" which was easy enough. Onepiece you were so right to reward them for their very, very reasonable and proportionate request!

This thread has reminded me we got a letter last week saying they are making christingles tomorrow and can we send in an orange, birthday candle and holder. Must remember

clara - you did well to get your 2 yr old into a costume!
dd (3) wouldnt wear her own national dress once...despite big sis wearing it, and coaxing by mummy.