As soon as October 1 rolls in, children from all over start preparing for their favorite fall holiday: Halloween. Candy and costumes are bought, pumpkins are carved, and fake spider webs are hung. However, as kids grow older, the tradition they once adored may begin to feel too “childish”, meanwhile some others still plan on trick or treating for the rest of their Halloweens. Therein lies the question that goes through the heads of many: When should you stop trick-or-treating?

To attempt to answer this question, I asked some Oakton students their opinion on the age one should end their childhood candy hunt. As expected, the majority responded with ‘never’ and that one should continue trick or treating for as long as they please. However, there were a few people who shared the age they thought Trick-or-Treating should end, with numbers ranging from age 11 to 16. Roudah Chaker, a freshman, even expressed her thoughts that “children should not trick or treat” due to safety reasons, particularly with the infamous clowns that have been rumored to be harming people.

I’ve also observed that Halloween can change for some teenagers as they begin to grow up. People may start taking part in different activities that don’t involve going from door to door all night. Briana De Leon, a sophomore, shares how she began to “stop trick-or-treating” like she used to and instead opted for staying in with friends and watch movies, which is what a multitude of other teenagers now do on October 31st. Halloween themed parties are also a popular event attended by many, which is fun way to still celebrate the age old tradition.

As one can see by the chart, many believe in the tradition that is Trick-or-Treating, and while some may prefer leaving it to the younger kids, Halloween just simply would not be the same without Trick-or-Treating. What would Halloween even be without endless bags of candy and the variety of costumes children wear? There lies the answer to our question: There is never an age to stop Trick-or-Treating.