I rarely write about myself in the articles that I write for Her Campus. But this one is personal.
I am really enthusiastic about holidays. I go crazy with decorations, seasonal clothing, music. I love wearing my holiday socks (and I have some for nearly every holiday) and wearing holiday color curling ribbon in my hair. I go all out, like a walking, talking advertisement for the holiday. My favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day, because I love pink and hearts and love, but I love every holiday, and I love to celebrate every holiday.
So Halloween is quickly approaching, and I’m still trying to come up with a costume. I can’t remember the last time I bought one rather than making it myself. I was brainstorming ideas aloud when my brother, who will turn 14 the day after Halloween, dropped a bombshell on me: he didn’t want to dress up for Halloween anymore. He’s decided that in eighth grade, he is too old and too cool to dress up for Halloween with his big sister. I was horrified.
I’m 21, and I know I’m not too old, and I’m certainly not too cool to dress up for Halloween. But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I am too old. I decided that I needed to find out.
A selection of girls who also write for Her Campus, of varying ages, majors, and backgrounds, unanimously agreed that there should be no age limit for dressing up to Halloween, and that anyone should feel free to dress up as long as they want to.
As much as I was encouraged by their response, I wanted a different perspective. So I asked a male classmate from one of my communications classes. His opinion was that trick-or-treating was no longer appropriate after high school, and after that, costumes were only appropriate when attending a Halloween party among peers. Following college, he decided, people should only dress up again when they had children of their own to dress up and take trick-or-treating.
This point of view wasn’t as bleak as it could have been, but it still means that according to these guidelines, I shouldn’t dress up, and shouldn’t have dressed up for several years, since I haven’t been trick-or-treating since I was fourteen and have never been to a Halloween party. I love getting in costume and then handing out candy to all of the children in my neighborhood when they ring the doorbell. Is that really so wrong?
At a loss, I sought the advice of someone whose wisdom has guided me through many a tough choice, and has never steered me wrong. Yes, I asked my mother. My mom says it depends on your circumstances (thanks for the noncommittal answer, Mom). Some places encourage wearing costumes to work or class, while others discourage it. Even if you love dressing up, if you’re the only one at work or school in costume, you may find that you don’t love dressing up under those circumstances. She says the most important thing is to dress up if you love dressing up, and to stop when you don’t love it anymore.
After thinking all of this over for the past week, I think that one should dress up for Halloween if they want to and it’s still fun for them. However, as we get older and fewer people continue dressing up, it’s less acceptable to go to school or work in costume. So you might want to wait until you get home to put on your costume, especially if it’s an elaborate one.
Am I heartbroken that my little brother seems to have outgrown Halloween? Of course. But I can’t force him to still think that dressing up for Halloween is fun, just like he can’t force me to not find it fun.
For everyone who will be dressing up for Halloween this year, have fun! For everyone who isn’t, I think you’re missing out, but I hope you have fun too. As for me, I’ll be in costume, even if I have to dress up alone.