Is anyone really too old to participate in a tradition? As the weather gets cooler and leaves change color, cafés start mass-producing pumpkin spice drinks and shops display their most exceptional Halloween decorations. Little kids make plans to go trick-or treating decked out in timeless costumes, and there’s an air of excitement around the promise of sweet candy corn and creamy, decadent chocolate.
But is the splendor of Halloween just reserved for young children? Especially with more enticing events like parties and shaving cream fights, going out in full costume can seem immature and even humiliating to some high schoolers. To understand this better, I asked a mix of freshmen and senior students at Haldane High School their opinions on seniors dressing up for Halloween.
The answers were almost all positive. “I think it’s spectacular and Halloween doesn’t need to have an age limit,” Freshman Scout Thakur de Beer said. Another freshman, Henry Amadei, remarked, “Even if they’re older, they should still be able to have fun and be creative.”
Most freshmen didn’t have a problem with seniors partaking in the Halloween festivities. They expressed that youth is a fleeting thing, and that you should make the most of it while you can. Furthermore, they acknowledge that holidays break up the monotony of everyday life, and can be beneficial to everyone, not just children. Lastly, they said that you shouldn’t let other peoples’ opinions control your life, and that, if anything, it would be more weird to not be in costume on this holiday.
Other freshmen had a different opinion. “I don’t think that seniors should dress up for Halloween because they should be focused on their classes,” Freshman Leo O’Neil responded. Some people believe that celebrating Halloween is distracting seniors from their other priorities, and can feel like a step back, when they should be looking forward.
But then again, there will always be haters.
The seniors I interviewed have confidence that Halloween is for everyone, and they don’t want age to hold them back from living life to the fullest. “Everyone should dress up,” Senior Sophie Koch said. “People need to forget their egos and just have a good time.” Lorelei Luoma, also a senior, commented, “I think it’s lame when seniors just have Halloween parties just for the sake of partying and don’t dress up. They don’t necessarily have to go trick-or-treating, but they should engage in fun traditions like shaving cream fights.”
Evidently, while there were a few mixed opinions on this topic, most freshmen and seniors fully supported having fun regardless of your age. I’d like to add that celebrating Halloween as a senior doesn’t have to look the same as it did when you were younger. Traditions like this aren’t supposed to be rigid, and they can evolve as we grow older. While it’s always good to go out of one’s comfort zone, just try to do what seems most enjoyable to you personally, and forgo any self-judgment.
Finally, for seniors who have been going to Parrot Street since they were toddlers, it’s nostalgic to return, especially for those who haven’t gone in a few years. Think of it as an opportunity to reflect on how far you’ve come, and revisit your unafraid childhood self. If you’re moving away after graduation, you might like to connect to your past and all the adventures you’ve had in this town, and make some final memories before moving on to the next chapter in your life.
My advice to the hesitant seniors: get over yourself, put on a costume, go out there and have fun. There’s plenty of time in life to be mature and “demure”. It’s best to get the most out of this last year of high school, and if that means putting on a fabulous costume and indulging in wrapped candies while running around with your friends, go for it.