When is it Time to Hang Up the Pillowcases?

For most high schoolers, each year, the question, “What’s the move for Halloween?” is raised. Some people might go to parties, some people might not celebrate at all, but the remaining group might be wondering: “Am I too old to trick or treat?” 

There’s no official cutoff date for when you should be able to trick or treat, but it’s hard to deny the stigma surrounding trick or treating in your teenage years. As high schoolers, it’s almost in our nature to conform and do what everyone else thinks is cool, but it’s also important to do what you want. Out of the many people asked, a substantial number said they would go trick-or-treating if it were more normalized to go at their age. But rather than doing what they want, these kids find alternatives to conform to the popular opinion. A 2024 poll from Farleigh Dickinson University found that the average age Americans believe kids should stop trick-or-treating is around 13.5 years old. At its core, trick-or-treating is a fun way to celebrate the holiday, no matter what age you are. With the right group of people, it might even be the best way to celebrate the day. But people miss out on that experience in fear of being shamed.

On the contrary, I do understand why the stigma exists. Trick-or-treating was a concept that was heavily pushed on us as kids: in the shows we watched, the books we read, and even costume parades in school. But as we got older, that concept started to become distanced from us. Halloween in the media we consume has become partying rather than trick or treating, and it’s a prevalent theme in movies like Mean Girls or Scream. 

But rather than letting external factors influence your opinion, you should do what you want for as long as you can because you won’t always have the opportunity to do so. Eventually, you really will be too old to go trick-or-treating, but that’s when you’re a grown adult, not when you’re in high school.

Written By Camille Themeh