The week following Halloween is the same every year: I pack away a variety of cute, usually furry, animal-style costumes -- more than likely unworn.

Also crammed in the box are the completely ravaged and candy-smeared, yet easily recognizable outfits for that year's popular super hero. For those out of the loop, more than a few Superman's will be ringing your doorbell begging for candy.

Actually, many of the super hero costumes have been worn multiple times and should be relegated to the dress-up trunk.

My older boys get first use of a Spiderman costume. It's then worn multiple times throughout the year just for fun. And by the next Halloween, Spiderman has gaping holes under his arms and a grape-juice stain running down the front of his suit. But the four-year-old doesn't care; he just wants to be Spiderman. The older boys are more than happy to pass on the old costume in favor of a new outfit, anything involving a cape. And this year, it's Superman.

As the used and unused costumes are packed away, I vow that next year, there will be no new, store-bought costumes. Instead, my family will come up with something original using items we can find around the house. But between the clearance-priced costumes following the holiday and the frantic search for a complete, undamaged costume the week before the holiday, we end up with a multitude of costumes.

While it's nice to have options, my children can become overwhelmed. They debate whether Batman could beat the blue Power Ranger, who is stronger between Buzz Lightyear and Leonardo, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and what Robin really does to help Batman. The Robin costume will likely sit unused again this year because we can't answer that last question.

Beyond trying to narrow down which super hero has the best and most power, there are many other factors which are considered when trying to decide on the final costume for Halloween.

The most likely reason a costume is chosen, at least in my house, is whether the outfit has more than three gaping holes and whether all the accessories can be found the day of Halloween and they are in acceptable shape. Not a small task in my house.

Although Halloween is still a few days away, the costumes have been out for several weeks now. As soon as the multiple boxes of Halloween items emerged from the basement, costume-season kicked into full gear.

The costumes can be seen sprinting through the kitchen multiple times throughout the day. The chances of those plastic masks making it to Halloween unbent, uncracked or unbroken are slim to none. Hence, the reason for multiple costumes.

So when the big day arrives next week, we may go venture forth with an unmasked Batman, an uncaped Superman and a duct-taped Power Ranger.

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With Halloween just a few days away, local haunted houses and mazes will be opening their doors for the final time this weekend.

Common Scents south of McCook operated a haunted maze last weekend and is scheduled to run it again this weekend. I personally have not visited this Halloween staple but judging from just the sounds emanating from the area, it should be pretty good. And the sounds do travel.

Last Saturday night, sounds were drifting across the empty cornfield from the haunted maze to my house. As I returned home late that night with my family -- in the dark -- I began to unload sleepy, droop-eyed children. Those eyes popped open as they emerged from the vehicle to the sounds of rattling chains, piercing screams and a low-baritone voices bellowing "booohooohaaas" seemingly coming from the cornfield. (That last description would be a lot more effective if this column came with a Halloween soundtrack.)

Before they reached a panic, I reminded them of the haunted maze across the highway and assured them that the cornfields were not possessed -- although they may stay out of the fields for a while.

-- Ronda Graff used to like visiting scary haunted houses, but now relies on the excuse of having small children along to avoid them.