Trick-or-Treating As Teens Is Acceptable
Once we start growing up, we start to wonder about the right way to spend Halloween. After years of trick-or-treating, teens start to ask, “Are we too old for this?”
There is no right age to stop trick-or-treating. Even if it can feel like you’re out of place walking down the streets of your neighbor-hood surrounded by younger kids, you should still be there and celebrate Halloween how you want.
Halloween is one of the only nights in the year where you can dress up and look scary or goofy. You don’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks of your appearance because everyone is dressed ridiculously with you. Each year, as the day approaches, it’s exciting to plan your costume with your friends and discuss how you want to dress up. After deciding what to wear, I always look forward to the trip to the Halloween store to buy things for my costume, and a fun alternative if you don’t or can’t buy one is to make it yourself.
The best thing about trick-or-treating is how accessible it is. Even if you don’t have plans on Halloween, you can make an impromptu trip around your neighborhood and get a bunch of candy. Everyone deserves to celebrate Halloween, and trick-or-treating is both the easiest and the most iconic way to do so. All you have to do is dress up and say “trick or treat.”
Additionally, the candy you receive from trick or treating tends to taste better in a way. Even though anyone can go out and buy a big bag of candy, the chocolates received on Halloween always feel more rewarding to me. Maybe this is because it was free. Maybe it’s because it feels like it was earned through the many miles walked through neighborhoods while dragging a heavy bag, along with the effort put into planning a costume. Maybe it tastes sweeter because it’s associated with good memories of spending a night with friends. Either way, the sweets become extra rewarding on this one special night.
I have years of memories of sitting in a circle with my friends to trade candy after dumping it all on the floor. In fact, I still remember eating candy until my stomach hurt.
A holiday like Halloween is made for everyone, so why do people say that teenagers shouldn’t trick-or-treat? One explanation I have for this is the pressure that high schoolers put on themselves to grow up fast. In high school, you finally have more freedom and responsibility, and with that comes the urge to start acting like an adult. One way that people do this is by letting go of childhood traditions such as trick-or-treating.
While I relate to these sentiments, I regret letting go of my favorite childhood traditions. I think that trick-or-treating can be a good way to stay connected with your younger self, and it can be fun to indulge in innocent fun for one night. Once we go off to college, the next time we’ll go out trick-or-treating will probably be when we have kids. If you love it, you should ignore anyone who tells you you’re too old and go. You won’t always have the opportunity or time to do so.
If you’re a teenager and plan to go trick-or-treating this Halloween, do it. Go all out this year and dress in the craziest costume you can; it’s the one night of the year when anything is possible.