EHS Student Advocates for Her Right to Trick-or-Treat

Special to Emmaus Patch by Chrissy Cilento, a senior at Emmaus High School, who plans to study journalism in college. She is a periodic contributor to Patch.

The other day I asked my dad what I should be for Halloween and he gave me a look as if to say: “You’re STILL going trick-or-treating??” Yeah, okay, I get it. A 17-year-old girl who still trick-or-treats isn’t exactly a common sight. However, just because it’s unconventional doesn’t mean it’s wrong. 

There seems to be some sort of disdain for the high schoolers who still trick-or-treat, like we’re literally stealing candy from babies. If there was a magical age that I should’ve stopped going house to house, apparently I missed it. I guess to me, whether or not you go trick-or-treating shouldn’t be based on your age, but your spirit. 

What do you think? Is there an age at which you are too old to trick-or-treat? Tell us in the comments.

I’ve been trick-or-treating every year since I was a baby, and honestly the fun never gets old. I get a kick out of designing my costume, figuring out who I’m going with, seeing other people dressed up, sorting and trading my candy, and all that other fun Halloween stuff. Even though I’m going off to college next year, there’s still some remnants of my 10-year-old self that can’t wait for 6 pm on Halloween night. Juvenile? Oh, you bet. A blast, though? Absolutely. 

You see, despite my age, my appreciation for Halloween has never really dwindled. So when I ring a doorbell with a group of my friends after putting a lot of thought into my costume and am greeted by a weird look from the person opening the door, I get a little disheartened. I feel as if people automatically assume that I’m one of those greedy teenagers who just trick-or-treats to beef up her Kit Kat collection, when in reality, I genuinely enjoy the spirit of Halloween! 

So, if you’re one of the adults who automatically judges the teenager standing at your doorway on Halloween, I urge you to be a little more open-minded. It could be that he’s just there for the Tootsie Rolls, but it could also be that he has only a couple more months before he grows up and is just trying to make the most out of the little bit of childhood he has left, just like me.

Editor's Note: Althought today is Halloween, Trick-or-Treat night in both the Borough of Emmaus and Upper Milford Township has been postponed, due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy in our area. Both municipalities have rescheduled Trick-or-Treat for November 3, from 6 to 8 p.m.