By SEAN CAVANAGH & MARY SAYDAH
Staff Writers
As the leaves started changing and the nights grew darker day by day, people around the country
began to prepare for the chilling festival of Halloween.
For high school students who participate in the holiday by dressing up as Lady Gaga, or going door-to-
door for a Snickers, the same question gets renewed each year: Am I too old to trick-or-treat?
“I think college is a good time to stop,” said freshman Emily Winter of Middletown.
Freshman Emily Woods of Middletown agrees. “I like getting all of the candy and it’s an excuse to hang
out with friends and dress up,” she said.
However, some students like junior Julie Prascsak from Ocean will not be celebrating the old-fashioned
way of ringing doorbells, something she attributes to Halloween falling on a Monday.
“Last year I went in Spring Lake with a group of friends. Having it on Sunday wasn’t bad, but this
year it’s different having it on a school day. By the time you get home you’re really not going to want to do
anything,” she said.
“I’ll dress up for school, but that’s probably about it,” Prascsak added.
Other students agree that they are too old to ask for M&Ms and Jolly Ranchers from their neighbors.
“I did last year, but this year I probably won’t,” said Katie Reulbach, a junior from Fair Haven.
For some students as they have gotten older, the meaning of Halloween has changed. It still includes
dressing up, but instead of the usual trick-or-treating, they celebrate in a different way.
“My friends always have these Halloween parties, and sometimes we go out to get candy. But it’s not
like traditional trick-or-treating, and our costumes are usually just putting on a cowboy hat or something,”
said sophomore Catherine McLean of Matawan.
Even though some teenagers are gradually putting an end to a favorite pastime, others have never liked it at
all.
History teacher Bill Clark said that his son was never fond of Halloween. Clark said his son, now 23, has
rough memories of the holiday, including a Humpty Dumpty costume that allegedly scarred him.
Clark shared his deciding factor for putting an end to his own trick-or-treating career.
“I eventually got a job and realized that with the money I earned I could just buy my own candy,” he
said.