Well, we are about a week away from the greatest holiday of the year if you are the parent of a child or children.

What other day besides Halloween can you dress up like anyone or anything you want to and taunt your neighbors into giving you candy? Is this a great country, or what?

The dilemma this year, however, is what costumes to dress the kids in, in order to get the most candy for me … er, them.

Last year was a piece of cake. We put my son in a football referee costume to match his grandpa and my daughter was a pumpkin. That is my pet name for her, by the way.

This year, however, is proving to be more challenging as my son is determined to be some sort of animal and my daughter is insisting that no one can play the part of Dora the Explorer better than she can.

But what fun is that? There'll be a bajillion Dora's stopping by your door and who knows how many furry animals asking for candy.

No. There has to be something more creative. Something that says "I am unique and daring (and my father is pathetic and takes this WAY too seriously)."

My first inclination is to do a "group thing" that will allow my wife and I to enjoy the festivities with the kids. One idea would be to dress up as the "Beatles," but no one seems to remember them anymore.

The four seasons would be a cool idea, but try getting a 2-year-old to wear a hat made of leaves or flowers for more than 20 seconds.

I guess another possibility could be the Village People, and I know that would create quite a stir in our neck of the woods. But do I want to subject my children to the endless taunts that would surely come with singing "Macho Man" or "YMCA"?

It's probably a better idea to match them up as a pair and come up with a theme.

Dora the Explorer and her sidekick Boots? My son dressed like a monkey that speaks Spanish? Probably not.

I do like the idea of one of the kids dressing up like a furry animal since that seems to land the most candy. What about dressing one up like a puppy and the other a fire hydrant? While it is a cute idea, which one would volunteer to be the fire hydrant, and what sort of message does that send? Talk about creating an inferiority complex.

Donny and Marie? Forget about it.

It would be possible to dress them like their favorite fast food items, french fries and a Coca-Cola. Hmmm. Now there's an interesting idea worth considering, and it might be good for grabbing some gift certificates for the golden arches. This one has serious possibilities.

Pebbles and Bam Bam always made a cute couple of kids, and in fact, my kids are like the cartoon characters the way they sometimes babble in their own language. I think that I am going to put this one on the list of possibilities, too.

Salt and pepper shakers are always popular, or ketchup and mustard, but the kids want to be more than condiments. And besides, I don't really want them marketing for a specific name brand, at least not without gaining some sort of financial compensation.

I guess the only thing to do is get creative and let my mind work overtime for the next week. I am sure that we will be showing up on your doorstep, hoping to make you laugh with our costumes in an attempt to get some great treats.

Be safe and have a great time grabbing that loot, kids (and parents, too!)