What started out as a celebration of religion and the fall harvest has evolved into the spooky social event that is now Halloween; children dress up and trick-or-treat while adults supply the candy, and America loves it. Over the years, some traditions have stayed the same while others have shifted entirely. Nevertheless, the spirit of Halloween has stayed constant, and Grosse Pointe, along with the rest of the country, is making sure of it.
Originating from “Samhain,” a Celtic festival signifying the beginning of winter and the time of the harvest, Halloween has taken many forms. The Celtic holiday was tradition for many years before merging with “All Saint’s Day,” a Christian holiday, where the two were celebrated simultaneously on Nov. 1, along with “All Hallow’s Eve,” which took place the night before on Oct. 31. The date would then grow into the name “Halloween,” which was slowly molded by Western culture to become a symbol of capitalism and American fun.
Some people believe that Halloween is for kids of all ages, while some see the holiday as one that children are supposed to grow out of as they become teenagers. In a 2024 survey conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University, the average age that customers said children should stop trick-or-treating was 13-and-a-half. South parent John Caine disagrees with the consensus, viewing trick-or-treating as friendly for all ages.
“I like trick or treaters of all ages,” Caine said. “You could be an adult, and if you come to my door I’ll give you candy.”
Some may disagree on the acceptable age to trick-or-treat at, but many would agree about the undeniability of the holiday having the activities that can make the day fun for all. Caine agrees that people change and mature as they grow older, as do their interests on Halloween night, but sees it all the more evidence for the beauty of the holiday.
“At some point your kids tell you, ‘I’m not going out to trick or treat anymore, I’m going out to have fun,’” Caine said. “It’s fun to be independent in the experience. No matter how old you are, it’s just fun to pretend to be someone else for a little bit. It’s timeless.”
Halloween gives students the opportunity to have fun and wear a disguise for the day, a practice that the Grosse Pointe Public School System (GPPSS) shows signs of promoting, especially for young students, according to Michelle Maison, a third-grade teacher at Maire Elementary School. Maison explains that elementary school students in the GPPSS have many engaging activities to keep them busy on Halloween day.
“I think it’s a holiday that [students] can look forward to,” Maison said. “We take attendance and then they do the parade around the school and the neighborhood. Then they have outdoor recess, and that’s when the parents come and set up the classrooms for the classroom parties.”
Changes in tradition come naturally by age, but they also are seen generationally. Walking in a class parade and having a party is an experience that Maison only knows as a teacher; Maison explains that when she was young, her Halloween experience was much different.
“We wore costumes all day, and it wasn’t a half-day or anything,” Maison said. “I don’t think we even had parties or anything. I believe that I always went around with my parents to trick-or-treat. My mom did make some of my costumes.”
More costumes are store-
bought than homemade this year, as a 2025 survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics showed that 71 percent of Halloween shoppers plan to purchase costumes. Local trick-or-treater Eva Pappas is a first-grader at Maire and is staying old-school in both her costume design and her method of getting one.
“My mom’s making [my costume],” Pappas said. “I’m gonna be a black cat because I like cats.”
Pappas’s classmate, first-grader Maximus Rhodes, has a more modern plan for the night, with a less traditional costume that he intends to purchase.
[I’m going to be] a Sour Patch Kids pack because I saw a picture of someone wearing one,” Rhodes said. “I’m gonna buy [my costume] from Kroger or Target.”
Like many students her age, Clara Bachert ’27 has stopped trick-or-treating and finds other ways to entertain herself during the Halloween season. While she is content with moving on, she feels like kids are going door-to-door less and less every year.
“I feel like Halloween is one of those holidays where people get to go back to their childhood, dress up and hav
e fun,” Bachert said. “I think people stop trick-or-treating now a lot earlier than I did. People [my age] still dress up, but you dress up in groups with your friends and then go to a party with a bunch of people in your grade.”
For many, the meaning of Halloween is
deeper than door-to-door interaction and is more than kids simply dressing up and having fun. After retiring as a GPPSS elementary school teacher, Glen Williams created the Haunted Garage Productions in Grosse Pointe Farms, an old-school haunted attraction located just outside and even partially in his own house. According to Williams, the attraction has all the excitement of Halloween without as much constant fear as other popular haunted houses.
What started as a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) fundraiser, the event has had an increasing effect on the community both financially and socially to raise money for programs in the district. Williams sees a great impact resulting from the Haunted Garage’s expansion, providing more opportunities to the district.
“Way back when, we were just a fundraiser,” Willia
ms said. “I knew how difficult it was for the PTOs to raise funds, and as a teacher, I relied on the PTOs, and they were really underfunded. [The Haunted Garage] helps the PTOs, and it’s able to put money into their accounts early in the year.”
Williams sees the attraction as more than just a method of raising money. He views the Haunted Garage’s efforts at uniting the community as ways to keep the spirit of Halloween thriving in the youth and in Grosse Pointe.
“Now, we’re more of an event,” Williams said. “I think we’ve kind of passed the point where people just think of us as a fundraiser, and I think that’s pretty cool. As we’ve grown, I think the community has recognized the effort.”
Whatever changes Halloween has gone through, it
remains a beloved holiday across the nation, with millions of trick-or-treaters asking for candy and millions of dollars worth of candy being bought because of it. However silly and fattening the night may seem to some, Caine sees the effect it has on the human spirit and believes it positively impacts society.
“[Halloween] is an event that marks the passage of time,” Caine said. “Life is full of having to take on unknowns, and Halloween is a perfect chance to get to do that in a low-risk way. It’s a fun way to get used to new situations. I think it’s pretty universal.”
