The moon gazes upon the world. Far below, people cloaked in the likeness of spirits and monsters roam the streets. In their hands, they carry a variety of objects–pillowcases, buckets, and other such bags–all of which serve the same purpose: to be filled with treats from the houses they pass. Once the ghouls have tired out, they return home, shed their terrifying garbs, and recover from their labor with a hard-earned mouthful of candy.
We’re in the heart of spooky season, and it won’t be long until many classic traditions are reanimated for everyone’s favorite fall holiday: Halloween. Among these is the aforementioned event of trick-or-treating.
The scene described initially should be a great bit of nostalgia, but it needs to stay as such.
Trick-or-treating should be for kids in the 8th grade and below because there are many other experiences young adults can participate in with their extended freedom.
Firstly, a very underappreciated aspect of Halloween is the commonality of increased freedom. It’s one of the few days of the year where kids can run around open streets without their parents hovering over them, and that makes it an oddly important step in growing up.
That night gives kids a taste of what it’s like to be an adult, which is a lot to take in; however, the fun format is a good way to stop it from being overwhelming and turn it into something to look forward to.
As high schoolers, most of us have lost that excitement and will maybe throw together a costume at the last minute for the sake of getting some free candy.
With that in mind, you must accept that there are better things to do with your annual Halloween night, and, conveniently, we’re given many more avenues to pursue.
For those who can’t drive, plan outings with your friends with the help of family or hold an online movie night (watching The Invisible Man on FaceTime is one of my better memories from COVID year). As for those who can drive, you have no excuse to spend your night wandering the street instead of celebrating the festivity with a friendly hangout. Those are just some ideas as an alternative to roaming the streets begging for candy.
Those same candy beggars will make the point that trick-or-treating with friends provides the same fun as a movie night or Halloween party, but it’s impossible to agree with someone who considers midnight cardio a fun holiday activity. Just buy some candy and have that movie night already.
As we age, we need to accept that some things must stay in our childhood, and Halloween is one of those things. Like I’ve been saying: nostalgia. Leave it for the little kids and go get your dollar store candy. It’ll taste the same, and it’ll leave time for those other activities that make Halloween special as an adult.
