It’s a question that gets more pressing with every year: to trick or treat or not to trick or treat?
It’s Halloween, which means that the most fearsome creatures ever to darken the land will come crawling out of the woodwork. Zombies! Vampires! Teenagers!
Yes, it’s a question youth may find themselves asking every Halloween: “Am I too old to trick or treat this year?”
And to that I say, why? No one chooses to stop trick-or-treating. It’s foisted upon us by cruel societal expectations. Given the choice, who in their right mind would forgo the ability to gather immense bags of candy just to go to a party? Absolutely no one. You can go to a party any dang time of year, but trick or treating is a once-a-year event, not to be missed.
So why is it that society (adults) forces us to put the pillowcases on the pillows instead of using them as makeshift sugar sacks? The answer could be many things. My personal assumption is that they are perpetuating a bitter cycle. Their parents forced them to give up trick-or-treating, so now they must visit that pain upon us to work through their own Halloween grief. Really, it’s quite sad.
But to those adults who cry, “I won’t give candy to any teenagers trick-or-treating, they’re just too old” – I urge you to think a little more critically about that.
These teenagers could be getting up to all sorts of mischief in the neighbourhood. They could be egging your house, stealing your Halloween decorations, becoming inebriated and therefore an even greater nuisance … and the list goes on. (For quite some time, I can assure you).
But they’re not. Instead, they’re getting all dressed up and politely asking for some candy. They’re not being violent, or rowdy, or even plain rude. I think that kind of behaviour should be rewarded.
Now, there may be some adults who still insist that trick-or-treating is a little kid’s game. And you’re certainly entitled to your opinion. But it’s not like the 11th grader who is politely requesting some candy at your doorstep is some sad 40-year-old man in a faded Batman T-shirt. These are still kids, just a little older.
Of course, that does come with a tiny little asterisk. No one likes it when you phone something in. (Just ask my editor.) If you’re an older trick-or-treater, you’d better bring your A game.
Personally, I believe that the older you get, the more effort you should put into your costume. Let’s see something fun! Something that makes the populace want to shower you with candy for your efforts! It’s the one time a year you get to wear a costume in public without judgment. Have fun with it.
Obviously, not everyone will want to trick-or-treat. Some of us simply feel like doing other things, and that’s perfectly understandable. Lame, but understandable.
Ultimately, all that matters is that you enjoy yourself this Halloween. And if you want to trick or treat, don’t feel bad or be self-conscious about it. Just enjoy it. It’s a fun holiday where we can indulge in the fear of werewolves and mummies and witches. Just don’t indulge the fear of being too old.
Happy Halloween!
Gabriel Mackintosh is a student at Royal Bay Secondary School.
