It’s no secret that teenagers get too cool for a lot of things as they get older.

However, the whole month of October, I’ve heard my fellow Northwestern Lehigh High School students make Halloweekend plans.

When settling debates on group costumes and organizing fall-themed school events, I asked myself: is Halloween one of the “childish” things teens outgrow?

When does it become awkward or unacceptable to do certain activities?

I spoke with several NWLHS students across various grade levels to understand their attitudes towards traditional Halloween activities as young people who are getting older.

Do you trick or treat? If you don’t, how old is too old to keep doing it?

Natalie M. (27’) went along with the majority student opinion that if you’re in your “teen” years, it’s acceptable to continue trick-or-treating. She trick-or-treats herself, and says that as a senior, “I could be doing something worse ...”

However, the opinions on age constraints varied between students.

CJ M. (29’) stopped trick-or-treating in his freshman year, and thinks everyone should stop when they’re 15 or 16 years old.

Do you wear costumes? If so, which ones?

Group costumes are a major aspect of Halloween for teens, whether they be for parties or for trick-or-treating.

What might be embarrassing to do alone can become super fun when you do it with a group of friends.

Teens tend to lean towards more “elaborate” costumes and concepts for them.

This doesn’t necessarily mean scary costumes (although it often does — Natalie M. uses horror makeup), but it can include niche pop culture references or recreations of Internet memes that are iconic to Gen Z.

For example, Grace R.’s (27’) past costumes include an iPad and a glowing stick man, and her friend group is dressing up from the Avatar movies for their Halloween party this year. Regardless of the theme, it’s clear that NWLHS students’ costumes allow them to creatively display their unique interests and senses of humor.

What’s Halloween about for teenagers, now that we’re older?

The consensus is that Halloween is more about hanging out with friends and feeling nostalgia for past Halloween experiences than anything else — candy isn’t the sole factor anymore (although it doesn’t hurt).

Natalie M. and Taylor B. agree on this.

Taylor elaborates, “I think it’s about spending time with your friends and dressing up, and reminiscing about childhood memories about Halloween, enjoying the holiday in a more mature way. At least it is for me.”

The answer comes back: teens don’t outgrow the spirit of Halloween, but their relationship with the holiday evolves as they pass through different stages of life.

We’re not ready to let go of every “childish” thing as emerging young adults, so we’ll adapt them to fit our level of dignity while still giving us that magical experience.

Some will spend Halloween night in their town handing out candy to the little kids, some will attend large house parties, and some will strategize trick-or-treating in gated communities to optimize their confectionery haul.

Despite slight division over the specifics, NWLHS students can all agree with Grace R., who cautioned that it’s time to stop going house to house for candy “If you’re above 20, or if you have a beard.”