When we were kids, Halloween was one of the best days of the year. Instead of worrying about homework and classes, we worried about our costumes and who we were going to trick-or-treat with. At school, we would have parties, walk-in costume parades, and enjoy time with our classmates in a non-academic way. But this is no longer a major part of our lives and I have to question why that is.
I definitely think that the social community at CHS has something to do with the unpopularity of Halloween. Because not many people dress up anymore, trick-or-treating seems uncool. Halloween is celebrated through massive parties and Instagram pictures with friends, but why? Is it because we are “too old” to trick-or-treat nowadays? And beyond that: at what age should children stop trick-or-treating?
“Fifteen,” says a CHS senior. “I think it would be weird if any teenager came into your house like ‘trick-or-treat!’” I definitely agree that there is an age limit to who should trick-or-treat and who should not, but I do think that fifteen is a bit young. On the other hand, a CHS freshman says, “There isn’t a specific age that determines when you should be trick-or-treating. It’s about self-confidence and the age you lose interest,” and I agree with that as well. It definitely depends on how original and how true to yourself you want to be around others your age, but isn’t that the point of Halloween?
Celebrating in school has changed drastically since we were kids. As elementary school students, we would have parties and parades on many holidays, especially Halloween. The Milton Avenue parades were always one of the highlights of my years at the school, and it is definitely something that I miss about being older. We “grew out” of costumes and candy during middle school, and once we got to high school, we hardly thought about it. We treat Halloween like any other day in school, going to classes and taking tests. We might receive one piece of candy or a “Happy Halloween” from a teacher, but that’s it. As those around us stopped caring, so did we until it was just a normal day.
Halloween is a holiday just like any other, but it is one that has decreased in popularity with high school kids over the years. At the end of the day, I think that anyone who wishes to celebrate Halloween and trick-or-treat should be able to do so just like children do, and I hope that in the future, society will come to accept that as normal.