Remember when Halloween used to be just an innocent night strolling around the neighborhood to all the different houses, in hopes of finding the mythical king size candy bars? One thing’s for sure, this day is much different when you’re a college student. In fact, I’d say that this is the holiday that changes the most throughout a person’s life. I’ve outlined a few periods in one’s life and how this day changes during these periods.   

Halloween as a kid (1-12)
This is when it all starts. As a baby, your parents will dress you up as a little sushi roll or something cute, and all you have is pictures to look back on. No worries, those are guaranteed to draw a lot of likes for a #tbt. When you get a little older, you start getting into the little sports stars or little princesses if you’re a girl and everyone thinks you’re adorable. Those are the years from which you can watch home movies and laugh for hours, the ones you can remember from your childhood are the ones during which you most likely had the most clean fun. It was always exciting to tell your mom what to dress you up as, to go shopping for the costume and for her to make it all happen.  The first time you put on your full costume and looked in the mirror, you’d get so excited think about how cool you looked.

Then, the trick-or-treating began. At first, you’d have to go with your parents, which was necessary, but the older you got, the more you’d want to be free to roam and do what you wished. Then, it happened: the first time your parents gave you the green light to go with your friends and tear up the town. In comparison to what you do now during Halloween, you were a saint, but you felt like a total bad a--. During this time, you’d go back to houses with the big candy bars and insist this your first time. You’d also take more than one from the bowls of people who weren’t home. This was living life on the edge, and you loved every second of it. This attitude continues into the next period, during your early teens, when you were a nightmare to deal with.

Halloween as an early teen (13-17)
This is the point in time you either thought you were too cool for Halloween in general, or you were out to cause as much ruckus as possible. When middle school hit, you always questioned if you’d be the oldest kid trick-or-treating, and eventually decided it wasn’t worth it to go anymore. The costumes became of less importance, and you just used it as a way to get out of the house and go around with your friends. You still got candy, but you now used a pillowcase and everyone was hesitant to give you anything because they questioned if you had dressed up at all. There was always that one kid in your group whose mission was to smash every pumpkin he/she saw, and you always followed along knowing that it wasn’t a good idea. Halloween was no longer exciting. Towards the end of high school you started hearing about Halloween parties, and decided to check one out. You lied to your parents about where you were, and maybe even had your first sip of alcohol. You felt alive again, like Halloween had once again sparked some interest in your life. If only you knew what you were in for…

Halloween as a college student (18-2?)
Do you remember the first Halloween party you had as a college student? This was the day you had heard great things about. This is the day you’d establish yourself as a legend on campus. This is the day you’d start your reign as big man on campus. Well, that’s what you thought at least. Freshman year you’re usually blown away by Halloween. The parties are bigger, the costumes are better and the excuses to do indecent things are present. I remember hearing someone say, “Now THIS is college,” and while I’m not sure if they were kidding or not, I was in total agreement with that statement.  You realize that, as the years go by, every Halloween becomes more and more precious. You may put less thought into your costume, and may not be as excited as you were freshman year, but the amount of fun you have seems to stay pretty consistent. You’re always spending it with some of your best friends and hilarious stories seem to come from it every year.

So this year during Halloween, take a moment to think about how precious this night really is, because you don’t get many of them during college, and they’ll be some of the greatest nights you’ll ever have. Then after reflecting, promptly take a shot; because after all, it is Halloween.