"Do I HAVE To?"

I've noticed something, working at the costume shop.

There are quite a few people who dress up for Halloween without having all that much enthusiasm for it.

"There's this party I HAVE to go to..."
"I HAVE to dress up for work..."
"I've not idea what I want to be, but I HAVE to come up with something..."
"I don't care, really, but..."

Why do they bother? A T-shirt with a jack-o-lantern on it should satisfy the minimum requirements for costuming in the workplace, and the rest of it should be strictly optional.

I dress up because I like to. On years I don't feel like it, I don't do it. I admit to having got stuck in various ruts, in the past--I used to dress as a witch every year, and then I went several years as a clown--I like such costumes, as nobody recognizes me (until I open my mouth), and I can develop a persona to go with the character.

I like doing workplace-related costuming--when I was a waitress, I'd do Renaissance tavern-maid, for instance, and maintain the voice and character all day.

I see no point in dressing up while working at the costume shop--besides, what if the very thing I had on was something somebody wanted to rent at the last minute? That, and it's really difficult to climb a ladder in a hoop skirt.