On and Off Campus Blog: How old is “too old” to go trick-or-treating?
By: Alice Wang ’25
“Aren’t you too old to go trick-or-treating?” is what my mom said the instant I brought up going
out with my friends for Halloween. Three years ago, when she first asked me this question, I
responded with a shocked, “No,” thinking that I could never stop, but now, at 14, I don’t know if it
is worth returning to the tradition next year.
So, how old is “too old” to go trick-or-treating?
Decades ago, when my mother and father moved to the States, they had never seen such a
kind of holiday before. Subsequently, we were never the type of family to go crazy on costumes
or decorations. So, as a child, it was always exciting to go out into the dark night and see my
neighborhood lit up with pumpkins and candles, filled with other princesses and superheroes.
When I was very little, I only went trick-or-treating with my brother. From house to house, we
traveled with one magical phrase. “Trick-or-treat!” we would say, and a gracious person at the
door answered our call with a shower of candy–which to a kid is heaven. Once we were
finished, we would pour our goods on the floor and trade candies–fighting for our favorites like
Twix and Reese’s, while passing the Almond Joys and Raisinets to our mom to give to her
coworkers the next day.
I have so many cherished memories from those times. I remember my neighbor Elaine always
handing out KitKat bars to us, and Chuck, who dressed up as Wally the Green Monster, would
quiz us on our times tables. In school, we decorated the doors, carved pumpkins, watched
movies, and relished in the Halloween spirit for the whole day.
However, as the years passed, people came in and out of the block. The last time my brother
and I trick-or-treated, some of the houses just let us take their whole bag because no one else
was going to come. I mean, I’ll take the free candy, however, Halloween is simply not the same
anymore.
Those who carried the Halloween spirit have moved on. Ever so slowly, my street dims down as
kids aren’t interested in visiting the less popular areas in town. Last year, before I went on my
own spree, I handed out candy to some of the early trick-or-treaters. It made me realize just how
much time has gone by since I was in their shoes. I had become that person at the door for
them. Or maybe this is just me dealing with how so much can change in so little time.
My brother hasn’t gone trick-or-treating in the past five years, so I guess the same thing is
bound to happen to me soon. Although I think there is nothing wrong with change, there is still a
part of me that is waiting for another chance to go back to being that child on the porch, holding
my already-stuffed-full bag out for more candy.
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