After the first few weeks of school, it’s finally October and ghouls, ghosts, and free candy are almost upon us. With Halloween just around the corner, a certain question begins to surface; at what age are you too old to actually trick-or-treat? Everyone has fond memories as a kid, running around seeing who can get the most candy, trading away whatever they don’t want. Personally, I’ve never been big on dressing up, but I’ve always enjoyed being with friends while trick-or-treating ― not to mention the treats, of course. But that was a different time, and we’re all older now, and the question still remains: are we too old?
There will always be people who walk around with their younger siblings while reaping the rewards of the smaller kids’ efforts, but we’re talking about real, door-to-door, costume-wearing trick-or-treating. The inner child in people will obviously want to say, “You’re never too old to stop trick-or-treating!”, but sooner or later everyone grows out of it.
I’ve surveyed fellow students, and the majority of them agree that high school is the cut off for trick-or-treating. In high school, some people feel childish dressing up and trick-or-treating, and feel more comfortable attending parties. It is reasonable for people to think that as soon as you’re a high schooler that you have to be more responsible and mature, thus wanting to avoid scurrying from door to door and asking for a lollipop. At RHS, we are given more freedom, which makes people feel like more of an adult. Some students are 18 and older, but the majority of the students are still minors and technically still children. Halloween should be about dressing up as a character or person you admire and just having fun with friends. Other people I interviewed agreed that college is when you should stop, yet there were bound to be a handful of people who believe that you’re never too old to be trick-or-treating. Even though this sounds fun to just never stop, it doesn’t seem very reasonable that an adult would be participating in such activities, and I can’t recall the last time I saw a 30-year-old man running from door to door to fill his pillowcase with chocolate. I could’ve just missed him through his costume though.
Although it is saddening to admit, high school does seem to be the time when most people move on from trick-or-treating or at least feel like they should. For some people, it’s very easy to move on and no longer trick-or-treat, while others find it difficult to realize that they’re finally growing up. Though it can be tough, and everyone has at least a couple happy memories of trick-or-treating, eventually you have to move on from this eventful, childhood activity. No matter what the case is, high school should be a time for people to find out who they are and to grow before going to college and being thrust into the real world. So what better time than high school to move on from trick-or-treating? In the end, it all comes down to a personal decision. Knowing what your peers think and what they’re doing can help ease the decision-making process altogether. And in the end, eat some candy and celebrate Halloween no matter how old you are.
James Barbi
staff writer
Graphics: Alison Kirk