Halloween is my favorite holiday because you don’t have to buy anyone presents, but you get to dress up as whoever you want to be, all while raking in free candy. Unfortunately, as I get older, I notice fewer trick-or-treaters at my door. When talking with friends, family, classmates, etc. when asked if they’re dressing up, the majority say no because they don’t have any parties to go to. Pitiful.
Some Halloween traditions are dying and I don’t know why. Why would a holiday that’s all about the fantastic, supernatural, mystical things we’ve created and imagined, die? This holiday is fun for kids who can dress up and eat candy. It’s fun for adults who like to have dinner parties. And hey, it’s great for hipsters who like pumpkin patches and tea. But while some people are taking advantage of these perks, the tradition of trick-or-treating specifically, seems to be dying out.
I remember starting high school and still wanting to go trick-or-treating, but I wasn’t supposed to, which defaulted to me passing out candy and watching movies. But now kids who are still young enough to go trick-or-treating seem like they don’t even want to go. They either think they’re too cool to get dressed up, their guardians are too paranoid about poisoned candy or kidnappers, or they’re simply too lazy. There are simple solutions to the first two. There are always cool costumes, and parents can easily accompany their children to provide safety, as well as to inspect the candy that’s handed out. I just wish people would get out and trick-or-treat like they used to, even if that means having parents and teenagers knocking at my door.
Money could be another potential factor inhibiting the desire to go trick-or-treating. I understand that the rule is you have to dress up to get candy and some costumes can be expensive. But there are many inexpensive ideas on Pinterest. You can use a white sheet, a belt, and some glow sticks to dress up as a Jedi. All you need is makeup and brown or green clothes to be a nymph or a fawn. At the dollar store, there are fake swords and suits of armor if you want to be a knight. You can also use makeup to be basically anything: a vampire, a skeleton, Frankenstein, a werewolf, a zombie. Having a costume shouldn’t be an issue.
Some of my fondest Halloween memories include my mom taking my little sister and I trick-or-treating. If we were at my grandma’s, we would trick-or-treat in her neighborhood, or we trick-or-treated in Tooele. We even went “trunk-or-treating.” Maybe some kids would find that embarrassing, but I didn’t. I would go trick-or-treating door-to-door with my parents today if I could. Besides, you’re in a costume. If you do it right nobody has to know who you are.
The most satisfying thing in the world when I was young was coming home with a pillowcase full of candy and dumping it out to trade with friends. Watching Halloween movies and passing out candy on my doorstep is fine enough, but I do wish more kids would knock on my door. I understand there comes a time in every kid’s life where they stop feeling like hunting down every house in the neighborhood for the best candy bars. For those who have not reached that age, to not go trick-or-treating or to not dress up not only takes away from their own potential fun, but it also takes away from mine and the very essence of Halloween festivities. Halloween is my favorite holiday and it breaks my heart to see its traditions being taken for granted.