Halloween is a tradition celebrated all over the United States, with knocking on doors, passing out candy, dressing up, and playing fun tricks on friends and family. But when does this tradition stop?

    The most appropriate age to stop Trick or Treating is when you start hitting the teenage years, but as the saying goes, to each their own. I love the idea of getting a pillowcase full of free candy but the amount of money that goes into Halloween adds up.

In an article by Swati Bucha, Bucha mentions that “172 million Americans were estimated to celebrate Halloween last year and were estimated to spend $10.1 billion on the holiday.”

As a child, Halloween was always a fun day. You get to dress up, get free candy, and just have fun. But as you get older, you start getting jobs, a car, and have a lot more responsibility than you did as a kid. A lot of teens don’t have the time to go out and find a costume when they have a job, and a load of school work that needs to be done.

    Miles Orf, sophomore, says “[he] stopped Trick or Treating around two years ago.” Orf adds “[he] felt too old for it, because [he] started hanging out with friends.”      

When asked what age is most appropriate to stop this tradition, “probably when you enter high school” Orf states.

“High-schoolers should not go trick-or-treating because it is not an activity that is meant for them,” Sonia Yost said, according to the Mountain Echo school newspaper.    

 Trick or Treating isn’t the only thing that goes on Halloween day and night. There are parties, many many movies about the spooky night, passing out candy to kids and hanging out with your friends and family.  

 When it comes to Trick or Treating regarding when to stop, it is completely up to the individual. However, if you are still doing it at 20+ that would be the time to start retiring. If you are a person in their middle age and have no kids just going around Trick or Treating, that’s a bit concerning. If you see someone like that, be smart and stay safe.

If you are just going trick or treating just for the candy, go to the store and buy some. Save the other candy for the younger kids. When neighbors prepare for Halloween they only buy so much candy, save that candy for the younger kids. 

However, if you are in it for the costumes, you can still dress up. If you dress up in a scary costume, don’t go where there are a lot of kids. You might end up traumatizing the child, and that’s the last thing you need to do.

If you are going to partake in this goofy holiday, I recommend going in a group. Whether that be with family or friends, anything is safer than going alone. If you don’t participate in this tradition, then sit back and relax, maybe even pass out some candy.