Too Old For Halloween?

On Halloween, some of us will brace the cold to trick-or-treat for candy while others prefer to stay in the comforts of their homes. In the year 2013, with most kids being distracted by social media, video games, or some other technology, an interesting question has emerged: Do teens still go “trick-or-treating?”

Since we were in kindergarten, Halloween has been a hallmark occasion. Nothing was better as a kid than to walk around in a costume and get free candy from everyone in the neighborhood. Today, some teens still go door to door, like sophomore Andrew Faber. “I don’t have any plans to stop trick-or-treating anytime soon”, said Faber. He said he will likely go in a group, and hang out at a friends house later. Although this new spin on trick-or-treating has been adopted by many in our school, for freshman Zach Stein, Halloween is a children’s holiday.  “I’m too old for trick-or-treating, and dressing up in costumes,” commented Stein. Despite this, most students at Hills West agree Halloween is not simply another average Thursday and just because they’re older, this does not mean they can’t partake in the holiday. Many students have plans to do something for halloween; even if they are not knocking on doors, they might still be donning a costume for a party.

Costumes are central to many Halloween gatherings, whether it be trick or treating or parties. There are many popular costumes that sell for a variety of prices. Students from Hills West are going to dress up as everything from beloved cartoon characters to zombies. The most popular costumes for teens in 2013, according to Party City’s sales statistics, are Strawberry Shortcake Skirt Costume for girls and zombie costume for boys, the latter likely spawning from the popular television show “The Walking Dead”. In addition to these, very popular costumes this year include party suits, also known as Morphsuits, and one-piece pajama costumes for girls.  Scare factor doesn’t seem to be a necessity for costumes anymore, as many plan to wear costumes that reflect their own personality.

Whether students are going all out or not going at all, many are just happy that Halloween even came at all this year after it was “cancelled” last year due to the disastrous Hurricane Sandy. With all the different ways to spend it, this year is sure to bring a “Happy Halloween” for many.