As Halloween is just around the corner, those of us excited for the fall festivities of Oct. 31 have begun scrambling for our last-minute plans.
Now that we are high schoolers, our opportunities to celebrate All Hallows Eve have expanded from trick-or-treating to Halloween parties and get-togethers or eerie nights binging on Netflix horror movies. However, just because we have grown up, did we have to really grow out of our trick-or-treating tradition?
I believe trick-or-treating is an activity for all, regardless of age. Although some see the tradition as “childish” or “odd,” If someone wants to dress up as a pirate and scout out their favorite candy, they should go for it.
“I loved it as a kid — dressing up as Woody or a storm trooper,” said senior David Batista. “I don’t think there should be a limit to when people are allowed to trick-or-treat or not. If parents want to go out and trick-or-treat, or just people who are in college or above want to go out and trick-or-treat, I don’t see a problem with it.”
The tradition has been a long-standing fan favorite, 41.1 million children from ages 5 to 14 across the United States trick-or-treat. But what activities do teens use to replace the ancient candy-filled tradition?
“Watch a scary movie, hang out with friends, eat your own candy,” said junior Samantha Rathe on what to do on the night of Halloween.
Rathe explains she believes it is fine for younger children to trick-or-treat, but once someone grows older, it might be odd to go dressing up and knocking on someone’s door for candy you can buy yourself.
Rathe pointed out a law about trick-or-treating she read in an article from CBS News in Chesapeake, Va. stating “Violators [trick or treaters] who are older than 12 face fines up to $100 and possible jail time.” However, this law was made to keep troublemakers and tricksters off the streets during Halloween. If someone goes trick-or-treating with a younger sibling, they are more than welcome to collect candy in costumes.
What is the harm in reliving one’s favorite childhood tradition? It is not as if they are hurting anyone by dressing up and trick-or-treating. Halloween is one of the few nights of the year where people can have fun by dressing up and recreate memories they made when they were children. Trick-or-treating is just one of the ways to have fun and let our inner child roam. One shouldn’t be judged because they enjoy trick-or-treating; I say, if you enjoy trick-or-treating as a way to enjoy Halloween, by all means have fun.
Should we condemn ourselves to give up trick or treating for the rest of our lives? I don’t believe so. If someone wants to dress up, dress up; if someone wants to trick or treat, trick or treat. As long as one is happy and safe, anyone should be allowed to trick or treat.
