We all know what made a great Halloween night when we were 10. Get home from school, help your guardian fill the bowl with candy, take a few pieces to get your candy bag started, and head out to meet your friends at the park nearby. You wait till it gets dark, and all of a sudden, the first high of the school year starts. You knock on the door to find an adult with a big smile, as they try to guess what you are, even though you thought it was obvious when you left the house. You do that for the next 2-3 hours until you swing back around to where you started. Besides all the other holidays that are filled with snowy days and delicious feasts, Halloween was a time to be crazy, spooky, and ultimately free. Now, it’s nothing but tight, unscary costumes, and crazy makeup to hide the insecurities that high school so kindly made you aware of. It’s stressful, it’s overwhelming, and performative.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some kids out there that still try and keep the tradition alive, but it seems trick or treating has an age limit. You don’t see 40-year-olds knocking on doors, but is the ripe age of 16 really the cutoff for childhood joy? High school is one of the most intense moments in a person’s life. The constant pressure, endless assignments, and the looming weight of “what comes next?” It’s a time that builds your character for better or for worse. Sometimes, genuinely dressing up and knocking on people’s doors for candy is just what you need before taking a huge exam that determines whether or not you’re “smart”. Less than 25% of teens continue to go trick-or-treating past the age of 14, according to B.A.C.A (Bay Area Clinical Associates). Meaning high school Halloween parties soon take over top priority on October 31st. Honestly, that’s not a bad thing. There’s something about hanging out with friends and yelling at them over a loudspeaker playing Monster Mash for the thirtieth time of the night, in a basement that kind of stinks, but convince yourself it’s part of the theme. Halloween parties are their own kind of tradition, just a louder, messier version of the ones we had as kids.
Maybe Halloween doesn’t have to be an either-or day. Teenagers can still embrace the whimsy that made October 31st special when we were younger. Maybe it’s carving pumpkins before heading out to a party, going to a haunted house, or giving a friend those Twix bars you know they like from the “extra candy” bowl the next day at school. These small moments can coexist with the louder, grown-up side of Halloween. It’s not childish; it’s keeping a sense of wonder and creativity alive as we navigate high school stress, social media, or the fact that you completely forgot to look for cute couples costumes for you and yours. By blending the innocence of your childhood with the excitement of teenage traditions, Halloween can remain a night worth celebrating for all versions of yourself – middle school you, high school you, and beyond.
