With Halloween rolling in around the corner, many fall festivities are being celebrated. Events such as pumpkin carving, house decorating, and haunted house sight-seeing are common during this spooky season. Of course, the main spectacle is trick-or-treating, and with that comes a never-ending discourse: at what age does one outgrow this tradition? Though some believe the custom is ageless, the habit of frolicking around neighborhoods asking for candy should be stopped after middle school.

   Trick-or-treating age limits are already a controversial topic around the country, with multiple cities nation-wide banning trick-or-treating after certain ages or hours. According to a website for parents, “Charleston, South Carolina, restricts trick-or-treating for teens over 16, who also aren’t allowed to wear a mask in public places” (parents.com).

   Members of the UC community agree that trick-or-treaters should end their antics before beginning high school. English Teacher Marissa Churchwell, who has children of her own, stated, “I believe that door-to-door trick-or-treating should probably end after middle school. This does not mean that they cannot still celebrate Halloween.” Teenagers seem to agree with parents on this issue. Sophomore Rin Wolfe said, “Personally, I do not think I will be participating in trick-or-treating this year. I will most likely hang out with my friends or stay home and watch Halloween movies.”

   There are a multitude of things to do for Halloween if trick-or-treating is not on the list. According to a San Diego travel website, there are various Halloween events happening in San Diego during October, which includes anything from family events to haunted houses and fun parties. SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream is a fantastic alternative to trick-or-treating for teenagers that are looking for a late-night fright. Live shows, DJ dance parties, plus rides and coasters inside the park are all perfect substitutes to the nasty stomach ache that results from a candy-binging nightmare (sandiego.org).

   Granted, there are teens whose only Halloween activity is trick-or-treating. However, there comes a certain age when knocking on the same door a five-year-old knocked on just two seconds ago and asking for candy becomes ridiculous. If someone already has financial resources and a means of transportation, what is stopping them from simply going to the store and buying candy themselves? And if so, doesn’t this mean teens trick-or-treating equates to taking candy away from little kids?

     In the end, Halloween is another holiday that should be enjoyable no matter your age or how you spend it. There are a multitude of things to do in the month leading up to Halloween and on the day itself, all of them being great ways of engaging in the spooky spirit. In the end, it should be spent appropriately — not comparing and trading candy with a random child.