As the wind begins to chill and pumpkins pop up on porches, people of all ages start to get excited about the most haunting holiday: Halloween. As young kids, we look forward to the night when creative costumes and cases of candy roam the spooky streets, but what do teenagers look forward to? Halloween enthusiast Eleanor Smith ’26 insists that no matter how old she is you will find her trick-or-treating on the 31.
“Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday and it always has been,” Smith said. “Even though I’m older now I always get out of the house with my friends on Halloween, before the Halloween parties start, and trick or treat for some candy.”
While some teens trick-or-treat every year, others find themselves so wrapped up in their busy schedules that finding time to visit a few houses for a sweet treat on the 31, is nearly impossible. Stella Meyers ’27 finds herself so busy every October that she can rarely find time to carve a pumpkin during the spooky season.
“I really love the traditions of Halloween but I never seem to have time to participate in them,” Meyers said. “Up until the last few years, I’ve always carved a pumpkin and helped decorate the house, but since high school started I haven’t had a lot of time to prepare for Halloween.”
On the other hand, student Brady Barbour ’26 always gets very involved in the Halloween spirit, regardless of how busy he is. Whether it’s trick or treating or celebrating with his friends, Barbour always makes an effort to feel festive around Halloween.
“I still trick or treat and I love doing it every year,” Barbour said. “I don’t have a favorite place I go, but I definitely think more people should go trick-or-treating on Halloween.”
Whether it’s a busy schedule or just a lack of enthusiasm, teens tend to stop trick-or treating between the ages of 12 and 16, but why? The reason varies between different people, but Meyers stopped trick or treating a few years ago for a few reasons.
“I used to go [trick-or-treating] with my friend, but then he moved away,” Meyers said. “I would go again, but I’m afraid adults would get mad because I’m not a little kid.”
Regardless of the reason, Smith wants to encourage others to trick or treat for as long as they can, especially once they become teenagers.
“It can be such a fun experience to go trick-or-treating with your friends,” Smith said. “You should trick or treat for as many years as you can. I mean, why wouldn’t you?”
