Halloween, the holiday that marks the end of October and is commonly celebrated through costumes and candy, is always a blast for people that choose to celebrate. Whether that’s through costume parties or the most common tradition known as trick-or-treating where kids walk door to door, filling their pumpkin head containers with candy for their parents to steal. 

Most trick-or-treaters are about 12 years and under, and in Texas, anyone 13 and up that trick-or-treats can be sent to jail for up to six months. Now, I don’t think I’m the only one that thinks this law is a little bit extreme. Last time I checked Halloween was a holiday and holidays are about having fun and embracing the tradition. How are teens supposed to embrace the tradition if they are seen as nuisances? Trick-or-treating shouldn’t be just for the younger kids because let’s be honest, everyone loves candy, I mean even the parents steal their kids’ candy. 

Teens should be able to trick-or-treat on Halloween but this does not mean they don’t have to dress up. The whole point of handing out candy is to embody the tradition, so if teens don’t dress up, they shouldn’t expect to receive candy from anyone. They can’t ignore their part of celebrating the holiday and expect others to give them candy. To any teens out there planning on trick-or-treating, I highly recommend wearing an awesome costume. 

Many think teenagers shouldn’t trick-or-treat because they cause trouble in neighborhoods, a HuffPost writer even said that once, in her neighborhood, they “swarmed through the neighborhood, repeatedly rang doorbells, grabbed all the treats, complained if the candy bars were too small and smashed the jack-o-lanterns on their way out.” While teenagers are obviously capable of causing a ruckus, doesn’t mean that is what they are going to do. Some genuinely want to be there for the fun of the tradition and it is unfair for people to assume the worst. 

Laws against trick-or-treating are just absurd and while some teenagers make everyone of their age look bad while trying to participate in this tradition, it is unfair for people to assume the worst of teens that trick-or-treat.