Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Keep Halloween fun for everyone

Written by: Samantha Acker

I am not a Halloween hater; however, I do hate the people that ruin Halloween for others. People our age tend to abuse this holiday. When we were little, Halloween was about staying out after dark, getting to choose a costume, and being allowed to eat tons of candy. It was the highlight of October, and for some, the whole year.

While some people may still enjoy Halloween and wait in anticipation for it every year, I can’t help but feel guilty for some of our actions.

Where did the pure excitement and thrill of this holiday go? Teenagers now use this night as an excuse to be greedy and selfish.

I remember going to houses which had left a bowl of candy out, only to find that it had been snatched up. The culprits are many of us. We see a bowl of candy, and instead of taking one or two like the sign politelly asks, we dump the whole bowl into your pillowcase. Woo-hoo, so there is more candy to eat. Instead of getting fat from an unnecessary amount of junk food, how about actually saving some for the little kids who cherish Halloween?

Halloween is a great holiday, but we should make it more than stealing all the candy. Seriously, how hard is it to go to Walgreens and buy a $5 jumbo pack of Halloween candy? One way to get free candy is to be the giver of it and snack on it in between visits. There is nothing better than seeing little kids come to the door all decked out the the costumes they are so proud of. Having a positive impact on those kids will be so much more rewarding.

On Halloween, we turn into the real monsters, not just with costumes. The really scary part is seeing provocatively dressed teenagers walking through the streets like they are in a Victoria’s Secret advertisement. I often wonder how these girls aren’t suffering from hypothermia because of how little clothing they are wearing.

Kids and their parents work so hard on their costumes; It’s a shame that high schoolers ruin the innocence of this holiday by making it a contest for the most promiscuous costume.

Pranks such as “teepeeing” and egging houses are immature and they ruin the holiday for everyone else. No kid wants to go out trick-or-treating only to come home and find their house trashed. If it were me, I would be traumatized and the glamour of the night would be washed away. I think that people my age don’t realize just how much their actions on Halloween actually affect the kids. High schoolers need to be considerate and put the energy used to vandalize into something positive.

Instead of acting like hoodlums and petty criminals, do something more creative with the night. Teenagers could make a haunted house in their driveways to scare all of the visitors. I’m sure there will be more than enough free candy at a Halloween party. Carve some pumpkins with friends and then bake the seeds.

If people take pleasure in these activities, there is truly something wrong with them.  There  surely are more fun things than wrecking the hopes of youngsters. It’s really just sad that teenagers do this, and I’m actually pretty embarrassed at  our actions.

Let the kids celebrate their holiday without wrecking their night. The temporary thrill of getting away with your trick will wipe off, just like the smiles on the victims’ faces.

I’m not saying that I disapprove of dressing up or having your own traditions on Halloween. After all, it is everyone’s holiday. All I ask is to avoid ruining it for the kids.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Oracle
$550
$1000
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of Henry M. Gunn High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

Navigate Left
Navigate Right
Donate to The Oracle
$550
$1000
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All The Oracle Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *