Sound Off: 
Has Halloween 
Gotten Old or Have We?

As we get older, we consider what's changed – the things around us, or just us?

We all have special memories associated with Halloween. From scary movies to trick-or-treating to telling ghost stories, it’s safe to say that this horror-filled holiday holds a special place in most of our hearts. As we grow older though, I’m sure we’ve all asked ourselves the question: Am I too old for this? Sometime in late adolescence we begin to wonder if the holiday we used to look forward to for dressing up and getting candy has gotten old – and if we’ve gotten too old for it.


As we’ve grown up, we’ve watched Halloween change along with us. What used to be warnings about firecrackers has morphed into sombre messages about drunk driving. What used to be about candy has now become about alcohol. The same is true when it comes to dressing up. Costumes that were once cute and funny are now promiscuous. It seems like teenagers and the innocent childhood fun of Halloween just don’t mix.


It would appear that adults think so, too. In recent years there has been a backlash against adolescent trick-or-treating, with age limits being put into place in cities throughout the US. For example in Belleville, Illinois and Meridian, Mississippi, bylaws exist making it illegal for a person over 12 years old to go trick-or-treating. It seems that we’re getting not-so-subtle messages telling us that indeed the time to enjoy Halloween is when we are young (like prepubescent young).


Perhaps what we’re experiencing now is all a part of that epic journey our parents are always telling us about called growing up. Maybe the holiday has lost some of its appeal as we’ve grown older and maybe it’s time to move on. However, in whatever ways our attitudes toward the holiday change, we will always have our memories.