Trick-or-treating is overrated
Sometimes I hear my fellow young adults lament about how they wish it was socially acceptable to trick or treat as an adult. I am here to say—that is nostalgia talking. While there is the obvious benefit of free candy that is where the positives for me end. I think maintaining trick-or-treating for young children is still a good way to maintain community ties and have a reason for kids to utilize their Halloween costumes—the alternatives of teenage or adult Halloween celebration is much preferred for me generally.
The first issue I raise with trick or treating is that it is always freezing. I do not remember a single year growing up where I got all dressed and excited in my costume only to be told by my parents that I had to take a coat, or put tights on under costumes with skirts. This always killed my vibe, but was absolutely necessary. Often, I would try and begin the trick or treating event by not wearing my coat, but just carrying it which became cumbersome as I also carried my bag for collecting goodies. I also did not last long in the coat-less department; the longest I ever got without a coat was maybe half an hour.
Another unfortunate consequence of needing a coat to trick or treat (at least in the northeast, I suppose) is that it covers up your costume, which is the whole point of Halloween, anyway! If you can’t show off your super cute, niche, funny, or homemade costume, what’s the point?
This contrasts with a Halloween party, which if anything is too warm due to the people squeezed into a space likely not built for that many people. Also, if there is no free candy available (and I would argue apple cider) at this Halloween party, it is no Halloween party at all. This gives you the chance to dress up in a costume if that is your cup of tea and be able to have everyone see its full glory the entire time, really only needing a coat for the walk to and from the gathering.
For those who may not be inclined to the costuming ways, there is also the alternative of watching a Halloween-themed movie. This might be a nice and more intimate choice for those who are not inclined to group settings or maybe Halloween culture in general, but still want to differentiate it from any other day. Some recommendations from me would be anything in the Flannagan-verse all of which can be found on Netflix, Over the Garden Wall, any of Jordan Peele’s films (Us is my personal favorite), or binging classics, like The Conjuring or the Scream film series.
The second issue I take with trick-or-treating is finding people to go with. After a certain age it becomes “uncool” to just trick-or-treat alongside family and you want to tag along with friends. This gets complicated when the best locations to trick or treat and each persons’ actual place of residency is considered. All this trouble seems kind of silly, anyway, when after about two hours it becomes too boring and cold. Kids simply do not have the stamina or planning ability to most effectively optimize Halloween.
Overall, while I do enjoy that I grew up with the opportunity to trick-or-treat and look upon my memories of cut-throat candy-trading deals with my siblings very fondly, I think that as an adult there is no way you would catch me wanting to trick-or-treat ever again. To me, all that effort is time is worth the same amount as buying Halloween candy in bulk for dirt cheap the day after Halloween, or finding something more substantial to do alongside friends that isn’t just wandering around aimlessly begging for candy.
Thumbnail Photo via WikiMedia Commons