Halloween: Breaking Boundaries

Well it’s about time that the sugar high from Halloween is wearing off, and we’re all struggling to exercise and trying to get fit until we relapse in a fit of gluttony that is Thanksgiving. Though Halloween was 2 weeks ago, I still find people munching on leftover candy and talking about their experience during the festive holiday.

I am not a person who greatly favors sweets and candy, however the experience that the candy creates is something of a marvel. Little kids love trick-or-treating, but there comes a certain age in which that could be considered ‘socially unacceptable.’ This does not mean that adults are alienated from this event; we just incorporate it into our lives in different ways.

Every year Wheaton hosts a cohort of young trick-or-treaters that flood a designated part of campus to ask for candy. Our private, often seemingly closed-space campus is suddenly opened to the public all for the sake of giving away candy. Well it may not just be the candy per se, having these young children flitter around brings a warm feeling to heart- or at least for me it does. As a person who no longer trick-or-treats, seeing the joy on these children’s faces makes me reflect on the excitement I used to get. As we age and move through different life stages, our ways of eating change and Halloween takes on a new meanings.

Trick-or-treating can be interpreted as just another cog in our blighted, inauthentic culture infected by capitalist, consumerist thinking. I, for one, never thought that the holiday could present issue for some that could not afford it. Observing kids costumes you can sometimes distinguish who has the funds to buy a fancy, high-quality, well-produced store outfit versus one that is put together with objects lying around the house.

But to kids none of this matters. Whether handcrafted or store-bought, kids seem to be able to push this thought away and focus on the fun experience that trick-or-treating. Who cares what you wear when your objective is to have fun collecting candy? As longs as you are able to fashion something, whilst going around the neighborhood class doesn’t- or should not- affect the amount of candy a kid should get. For one time of the year, class lines become blurry and should be almost indistinguishable.

As an adult I find that my idea of Halloween may still be dressing up, but, instead of going out for candy, I often find pleasure in the food I can create to reflect the ‘Halloween experience.’ Making toffee apples, brownie graveyards, incorporating pumpkin spice in everything, and decorating my living accommodation are ways in which I can experience Halloween as an adult. But my student budget can only stretch so far and I have to be aware I may have more limitations than others when it comes to the costume or candy that I buy.

I have been to a fair-share of Halloween parties and one can easily tell who much money was put into the decorations and the food. And yet, just like when we were kids, we push this aside for the sake of having fun. Now, we are often awarded for our creativity of handmade costumes and decorations. As we age we become more aware of our socio-economic status, however when Halloween rolls around we are once again freed of these constraints as long as we wear the holiday proudly, just like when we were young.

It’s all well worth it.