By Kiah Smith, Contributor
It’s that time of year again. Halloween means tons of candy, parties and clever costumes. It’s time for people to spend the night of Halloween enjoying it in whatever way they choose.
Now that we’re in college and much older, it seems like Halloween takes on a completely different meaning. The costumes go from cute to risqué, and the juicy juice boxes have turned into red solo cups. While the reason for college students to relish in the spirit of Halloween may be just to enjoy yet another weekend of partying; who’s to say we can’t get excited about candy, finding the perfect costume or even possibly going trick-or-treating? There’s no age limit on fun.
We’re all kids at heart. With school being so stressful and the endless responsibilities of life tapping us on the shoulder every day, I do not think it’s uncommon for a college student to wish they could be a carefree kid again. I think it should be less about your age and more about enjoying moments you used to love, a chance to revisit your younger years. We’re not getting any younger so why not embrace the moments where we can take a step back in time to live out our childhood.
Personally, after spending many nights freaking out over exams and worrying about paying rent, there are plenty of days when I’d give any thing to be a kid again. I’m sure others can agree with me. As I previously stated, there is no age limit on fun. If trick-or-treating is going to free someone from the burdens of life for one night, then I don’t think there should be an issue, regardless of what others may think or assume.
Some may think trick-or-treating or even participating in Halloween traditions and activities are something you have to “grow out of.” I disagree. Some might even bring up the argument that parents do not want their much younger and more impressionable kids to be around basically other adults. If their intentions are purely for the fun and enjoyment of dressing up and receiving candy, why stop them?
According to the Washington Post, some cities in the U.S. have gone as far as imposing age limits for trick-or-treating. Boonsboro in Washington County, MD set time and age limits for trick-or-treating. Only children 12 years of age and younger can go trick-or-treating. That seems a bit ridiculous to me. It’s hard to believe that a city would actually ban those that are older from doing something that probably makes them happy. You would think the question of whether or not someone should be within a particular age range is not that serious, however, in some places it is.
The decision to stop participating in Halloween activities like trick or treating and any others should only be up to the person deciding whether or not they would to participate.
So to answer the question, are college students or anyone else over the “acceptable” age too old to trick-or-treat or to enjoy all other Halloween activities? Simply, no. If that’s what they want to do they should be able to do so and enjoy every minute of it. For all we know, some of them could have a younger sibling or family member that longs for their presence and participation why they trick-or-treat. What’s life if you can’t enjoy the fun, simple moments?
We all need a moment or two to just be a kid and enjoy things like trick-or-treating, dressing up, picking out pumpkins, feigning for delicious and all other things Halloween related for just one night. It won’t hurt anyone, I’m certain of that. I encourage everyone to step back into your younger shoes and enjoy moments like these without worrying about all of your adult responsibilities. Whether you acknowledge Halloween or not, enjoy those moments. For all of the trick-or-treaters, continue to enjoy doing what makes you happy and eat all the candy you can eat. Happy Halloween, everyone!
