{"id":42705,"date":"2025-10-29T16:13:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T20:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/?p=42705"},"modified":"2025-11-07T12:17:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T17:17:27","slug":"too-old-for-candy-when-trick-or-treating-loses-its-spook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/campus-life\/2025\/10\/29\/too-old-for-candy-when-trick-or-treating-loses-its-spook\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Too Old for Candy?’: When Trick-or-Treating Loses Its Spook"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Halloween is just around the corner. For many, the tradition of putting on your scariest or funniest costume and trick-or-treating for some free candy is the best part of the holiday. However, this starts a timeless debate: How old is too old for trick-or-treating? Sinclair<\/a> students shared their thoughts and opinions on the stopping appropriate age.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Kyla Brown. <\/strong>CONTRIBUTED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Kyla Brown <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown, a pre-nursing junior, thinks that anyone old enough to legally drink should not be allowed to trick or treat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwenty-one is too old, there is something about that number and trick-or-treating that doesn\u2019t seem right.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She dropped out of the candy rounds in high school, partly because she had no one to go with other than her siblings, and her parents would end up throwing candy away the next day. But even with that cutoff, she is no candy gatekeeper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf a 25-year-old showed up by themselves, I don\u2019t care enough to send them away without candy,\u201d Brown said. Still, she draws that line when it comes to how costumes are chosen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPreserve this holiday for the younger people \u2026 some older people don\u2019t have the common sense to pick a costume that\u2019s cute but appropriate for mixed company,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:<\/strong> Sinclair\u2019s haunted past comes back to life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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Austin Criswell. <\/strong>CONTRIBUTED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Austin Criswell<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the opposite end, Austin Criswell an applied psychology major, takes a more flexible route. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re never too old long as you\u2019re with a kid or young siblings,\u201d Criswell said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stopped trick-or-treating a few years ago, but if someone over 20 showed up in costume alone or not, he would still dish out candy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf that person was alone and did not get candy, if I had some, I would give them a few pieces,\u201d Criswell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Austin, adults are welcomed in the Halloween fun, especially when they are part of a family unit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Related: <\/strong>5 activities to do before the end of Fall season<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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Akosua Agyeiwaa Agyekum (AJ).<\/strong>
CONTRIBUTED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Akosua Agyeiwaa Agyekum (AJ)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agyekum is a nursing major who takes a middle ground. She sees 18 as a reasonable turning point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPast high school, Halloween becomes parties, events and volunteer roles,\u201d Agyekum said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stopped trick-or-treating at around 15, citing changing peer habits and fewer companions. But Agyekum is not shy about sharing the candy love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf they\u2019re dressed up and having fun, I\u2019d give them candy. Halloween is about joy, creativity.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She believes adults can join in, just preferably with younger trick-or-treaters or in a helping role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their answers reflect the wide spectrum of Halloween attitudes and align pretty closely to the general consensus. A recent poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University<\/a> found that across demographics, the average suggested cutoff age is around 13 years old. Meanwhile, some surveys show that 16% of adults believe trick-or-treating should end at 17\u201318, while 19% say 15\u201316 is ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maliya Ayambire, staff writer<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Checkout more posts by the Clarion:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n