Trick or treating. The act in which one travels around a neighborhood knocking on doors in order to collect candy, and definitely only acceptable during Halloween. However, should there be anymore rules surrounding the thought of trick or treating? Is it really even celebrated anymore? Should we encourage each other to start the tradition off stronger this year? These are all valuable questions to ask when the thought of Halloween comes into play.

First off, I believe the best question to answer is if trick or treating is a celebration of the past, to which I concluded that it is not, yet it's slowly dwindling each year. Gone are the days where someone could literally just show up to your house to just chat and visit; with many evil groups of people taking advantage of someone's welcoming, most people nowadays plan their visitors. If someone is unexpectedly knocking, it's best to hide and not answer the door. While this paranoid attitude has only increased in the years, those wanting to trick or treat probably do not feel comfortable approaching strangers houses, especially kids who did not trick or treat about ten to fifteen years ago. However, this could be fixed with proper education on trick or treating by providing a safe, fun experience. Thus, leading up to the next question: should there be rules to trick or treating?

Rules are normally created to negate order and safety, yet sometimes rules can jump over that line and cross into the territory of limitation, control over others, and supremacy expressed to extinguish happiness. To further explain this, I will provide an example. A rule commonly known for trick or treaters is to not approach a house that does not have their porch lights on. This indicates that either someone is not home, does not want to be bothered, or could possibly hold other serious reasons why not to go up to their door. By knowing this rule, it helps protect the trick or treaters by not upsetting a neighbor, not venturing into a dark walkway where anything could jump out, and prevents disappointment by not receiving candy.

This is a decent rule; it's not condescending and thinks of everyone's happiness at the same time. A horrible rule that only expresses supremacy over others, however, is not allowing anyone older than fourteen to go trick or treating alone or without a child. When anyone well costumed makes the trek to my house, they deserve a candy bar. They are doing the same work as the children and should not be excluded in receiving candy just because they are grown up. Life sucks 90% of the time and everyone deserves to find an outlet to escape from once in a while, and that includes adults trick or treating. They are not subjected to boring old work parties that literally revolve around alcohol and gossip. Everybody has the right to trick or treat and are not required to drag along a child just for the experience.

Lastly, should we encourage each other to celebrate trick or treating? Of course! Any form of human interaction that involves candy should be encouraged because everyone needs some candy once in a while, whether your form of interaction is you buying a bag of candy from a grocery store dressed in your favorite pajamas or trick or treating. Food is our emotional support so why not make it a scavenger hunt at the same time? Granted I won't be trick or treating this year because my Mondays include coping with adult life that I cannot retreat from, however, that does not mean you can't enjoy your night and go trick or treating! In fact, bring an extra Jack O' Lantern bucket with you for me and fill it with candy! Enjoy the night, you deserve it.