Halloween is a party for all ages, but this year I have no idea what to expect. This time last year, I was stuck on my couch watching Gilmore Girls because your girl caught a bad cold. Now, I want to go out, but what can I do? I feel too old to trick or treat, too cool to hand out candy, and I don’t think people understand my costume…
People tend to venture out, going door to door begging for candy, finding parties to attend, or some simply end up staying at home, watching movies or handing out candy. Once upon a time, Halloween was a religious Pagan celebration held to welcome the harvest at the end of summer. Now a staple for parties, costumes and trick or treating, Halloween has evolved into the candy filled night we know today. Trick or treating, a custom developed early on, has gained popularity amongst a wide demographic of people. The age cut off has been debated for years, with controversy on whether teenagers should be allowed to trick or treat arising.
With popularity comes haters, and I am one of them. I firmly believe teenagers constantly act “too cool for school”, but when free candy is thrown into the mix, suddenly it is very awesome to trick or treat. I believe once someone hits 15 or 16, they should stop trick-or-treating. Going trick-or-treating is, and always has been an activity for kids. Of course legally, teens are still kids, but it is not reasonable to compare a 7-year-old wanting to get some candy to a young adult going around for whatever reason. Despite this, there are reasons to be supportive of teens trick or treating, along with reasons to be skeptical. A cause for support would be how fun it sounds. People channeling their inner child to dress up and trick or treat encourages positive outcomes. However it also sounds like trouble. It all could be a ploy to cover up mischievous activities like egging houses and smashing pumpkins. When put in that way, teens trick or treating doesn’t sound like a great idea.
Teens are more than welcome to dress up, but I don’t think they should go around asking for free candy. They have the ability to drive and get a job, and if someone is truly that desperate to get some candy, they can wait until Nov. 1 for those post-Halloween candy discounts.
