Once my birthday’s done and dusted with in July I’m already setting my sights on Halloween as my next big event on the calendar.

I love Halloween because I feel like it’s a time of year that allows people to do something they never normally get a chance to: become someone else. And the whackier the better.

I’ve always loved putting on a costume. At school I was always the kid who wore the costume no one had thought of or people just couldn’t work out the character. I remember once on World Book Day my Mum spent hours creating paper mache horns for me to wear for a Maleficent costume. All the other girls turned up as princesses or some sort of cute animal and there I was with my enormous headgear and a duvet that my Mum attempted to dye black but it actually came out a weird grey colour. I still worked it though.

There was also a day where we had to go in dressed as characters from Alice in Wonderland. All the girls of course went as Alice and there I was as the angry Queen of Hearts in a huge dress covered in roses that I wore as a bridesmaid, with a giant heart shaped tiara and cane.

These days I try and create costumes that no one else will be wearing and while my plan to go as Harley Quinn isn’t a hugely original idea I have created most of the costume from scratch. The top is handmade, the boots have been customised and I’m creating the giant hammer using a mop handle, lots of foam and cardboard. I’m debating on doing a tutorial on how to make your own.

This year I’ll be hosting my annual Halloween party, I started this (what I hope to be) tradition two years ago and give out prizes for the best costumes as well as deck out the house in creepy decorations and put together disgusting looking food for everyone to eat when they’re drunk and have the munchies at midnight.

The build up to Halloween is for me, as exciting as Christmas. And I intend to prepare for the special occasion by playing the Last of Us, watching lots of The Walking Dead and finishing off my costumes for work dress up days and the main event.

Do you get just as excited about Halloween? How will you be celebrating this year?

Jade