“I’m sure you were really happy to be able to think of that clever, creative, DIY costume,” said a panel of experts. “But back when you thought about buying materials, making alterations, and compiling them, you had the time to pull it off. I’m sorry to report that, as of right now, it’s no longer in the cards for you."

The panel went on to say that similar timing kept you from having your costumes come to fruition in past years as well.

“It’s still cool that you had that idea for the costume though! That counts for something,” the panel continued. “That should give you a leg up to have a costume like it in time by next year, or you could just tell yourself that if it’ll make you feel better."

At press time, it’s okay to just be a cat or an angel again this year; there’s no shame in it.