It’s that time of year again. Across the nation and the world, kids are donning masks and costumes to celebrate Halloween. And yet, many Northwood students express they have better things to do or simply plan to stay home this year. It begs the question: what happened? Junior Abby Johnson has an answer.
“I think it just reaches a point where you think ‘this is for little kids,’” Johnson said. “The last couple Halloweens I’ve been busy, so now I just hand out candy to kids.”
Though she’s sure she won’t be going door-to-door, she says she’s unlikely to dress up at all. She went on to say that she “definitely wouldn’t go,” even if she was without other plans. Her younger sister, freshman Emi Johnson, has a similar mindset.
“It’s kind of creepy to me,” she said in regards to her classmates’ continued participation in the “immature” activity. Though she doesn’t actively deter her peers, she herself won’t be taking part.
Not every student feels this way, though.
“Although, it does depend on the amount of homework on school nights and stuff,” sophomore Grace Miller said. “The dressing up is a nice, relaxing thing to do nowadays, with school being so heavy.”
She finds trick-or-treating to be “completely appropriate,” and she encourages her friends to join her this year.
“It’s not so popular anymore,” Miller said, “It’s more popular to throw a party or something like that.” But Miller defends the holiday tradition and goes so far as to say that “it’s actually more fun now,” saying that “it’s more about getting together with your friends and celebrating than going out for candy.”
Sophomore Ella Hammond, another trick-or-treating enthusiast, doesn’t understand why she’s one of few.
“I don’t know why everyone’s not doing it anymore,” Hammond said, “I think it’s really fun,” she said.
Despite this, she might stay in this year as well.
“It really does appeal to me,” Hammond said. “It’s just, you know, I’ll do it if my friends do it. I don’t want to do it alone.”
This is yet another frequent deterrent for aging trick-or-treaters. Sophomore Elena Shipp said why she’s been on the fence since middle school.
“I love it,” Shipp said, “It’s always really fun. You just get to be stupid with your friends.”
“My mom doesn’t like that I go out on Halloween,” Shipp said, going on to say that her parents have been trying to turn her off of trick-or-treating since before she hit her teens. This hasn’t stopped her yet, though, as she “always has a great time” on that last night in October.
“I think we should be allowed to just hang out with our friends and dress up,” Shipp said, planning to adopt yet another “ridiculous” costume come Halloween, and hoping to see people of all age groups out too.
– By Chase Miller
