To trick-or-treat or not to trick-or-treat, that is the question. As students get older, the traditional way of celebrating Halloween seems to be getting old as well.
Each year, fewer students go out, dress up in costumes and trick-or-treat with their friends. While their reasons for abandoning these traditions vary, their struggle is the same: How can a student celebrate Halloween age-appropriately?
“I’ve been trick-or-treating every year,” sophomore Will Conway said, “But it’s getting lame and the candy isn’t that exciting anymore.”
Throughout elementary school, students look forward to dressing up in costume and trick-or-treating with their families, but as they get older, some students are embarrassed and are made fun of if they dress up.
“[My friends and I] see a lot of younger kids [tick-or-treating] and it seems immature.” sophomore Wesley Yim said.
Still, there are some teens who try to keep the spirit alive. However, their efforts go to waste because some adults tell them that they are too old to be trick-or-treating, and they turn kids away.
“[Some] people giving out candy say ‘you’re too old for this,’ and don’t give you the candy.” junior Nancy Guan said.
Instead of spending the night running around the neighborhood in search of candy, some students use Halloween as an excuse to have parties.
“I’m going to a Halloween party,” junior Rachel Thomas said. “I probably won’t [even] dress up.”
Some students try to celebrate the holiday with a minimal amount of embarrassment. They dress up in non-eccentric outfits like wearing all black and saying they are a cat, or wearing everyday clothes and pretending to be one of their friends.
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Whiles some students have given up on the holiday, many others realize that Halloween is a simple excuse to go crazy and have a good time with friends.
“I am probably going to trick-or-treat for a bit with friends, even though we are getting old,” junior Maddie Ulanow said. “Then we will go back to my house and pass out candy.”
Some students are trying to find more extreme ways of having fun on Halloween night, even if it means turning to vandalism to make themselves seem less childish.
“[My friends and I] prank our other friends [by] covering their houses in silly string,” Yim said.
Some students want to go door to door to collect candy, but they are embarrassed of what fellow high school students will think.
“I really would like to go trick-or-treating,” Guan said, “But I think I am too old for that so maybe I can ‘chaperone’ my little brother and get free candy.”
Of course, there are some who are just not ready to move on and who do not think twice about dressing up in full costume.
“I haven’t started to look for costumes yet, but I can not wait to find something really fun,” sophomore Alex Fox said.
No matter how far you go to celebrate Halloween, the holiday remains an exciting event that most students look forward to during the month of October.
