Trick-Or-Treaters Putting The Final Touches On The Perfect Halloween Costume

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- With less than 24 hours before we welcome trick or treaters to our doorstep, time is running out to find the perfect costume for Halloween.

The anticipation is growing as last minute costumes are being assembled, complete with candy, costumes, cadavers, and cauldrons.

At the Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns Spooktacular event at Old Westbury Gardens, five thousands hand-carved pumpkins made it through the weekend's heavy storms as some families still search for last minute costume ideas.

Some were even offering the bad weather as an excuse for their procrastination.

"We're getting our last minute stuff done for Halloween," last minute shopper Ella Sampson said. "We need candy too, right? And face paint for a 'vampirina'."

The Delvechios of Merrick like the Cookie Monster and the Penguin for their one-year-old son.

"When he looks back on his first Halloween he has to have a costume, right?" she told CBS2's Jennifer McLogan.

Others prefer the handmade route. One girl said she was going to go as a gypsy.

One mom limited spending to just three dollars for a hat.

"Overdye, cut up a skirt, tatter it, make it look like a witch's dress," costume designer Joseph Petrollese said. "Just add the hat to it."

The chief executive of Rubie's Costume Company says you don't have to spend an arm and a leg.

"You can get your costume a half hour before the party," CEO Marc Beige said. "In fact, we have people who dress up in costume and leave here to go to their party."

Some parents say when the kids are asleep after trick or treating, their tradition is to share scary stories and watch horror movies in bed.