You should try this.
A few years back at the beginning of October we made a scarecrow out of some of my old clothes, gloves and a really hideous mask. All month long our nieces and nephews saw it sitting on the porch, looked at it real good and got used to it.
Halloween night I put on the scarecrow clothes and mask and sat there with a big bowl of candy in my lap.
Much fun ensued.
I feel kind of bad about little Matthew though - he never did really start growing again.