[OPINION] College students should go trick-or-treating. Hear me out:

Reading Time: 4 minutes

MATT VOLZ 

Editor in Chief 

We all remember what it was like to be kids on Halloween. 

There was something so magical about getting into costume and going around the neighborhood to ask strangers for candy. 

For many college students like me, Halloween brings back fond memories of the innocence of childhood. 

It brings back memories of all the fun costumes you might have worn as a kid, even if they weren’t the best. 

My personal favorite was the year I decided to dress up as New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick as a way to mock the football team I hated. 

But those days are long gone. We’re in college now, and trick-or-treating is only for young kids. 

Or is it? 

It might sound crazy, but stay with me.  

I think college students should go trick-or-treating on Halloween. 

I’d like to pose a question to all of you who read this article: When you got too old to go out trick-or-treating, did the magic of Halloween diminish or disappear? 

For me, it did.  

I always had so much fun coming up with my costume and going out with my friends and family on Halloween night. 

But once that became a thing of the past, Halloween just became like any other day. 

Sure, I’d still have some sort of costume, and sometimes I’d help to hand out candy, but the fun of the day seemed to be over. 

It ended right around the time I decided I was “too cool” to act like a kid on Halloween. 

Every high school student fears being made fun of for doing something that’s “just for kids.”  

That seems to be a driving force behind the decision to be done with trick-or-treating. 

The desire to be liked or to fit in is still present in college, but it doesn’t need to take control of your life like it did in high school. 

Instead, this is the time when you’re supposed to create all those goofy memories that you’ll look back on fondly in the future. 

For example, when I came to Fredonia three years ago, I wasn’t too enthusiastic about Halloween anymore. 

But my sister, who was a senior, and her friends were planning a “Toy Story”-themed group costume, so I decided to take part. 

I dressed up as Woody, and it’s still one of my favorite costumes I’ve ever worn. 

The next year, I was in Atlanta for a journalism conference on Halloween with several other members of The Leader. 

This was the year of the “Barbenheimer” summer, so we all dressed up as either a version of Barbie or one of the movie’s male characters.  

I dressed up as Alan, the kind and lovable supporting character played by Michael Cera. 

We were at the same conference last year, when we dressed up as characters from “The Wizard of Oz,” even though we didn’t have a Dorothy. 

On each of those occasions, it didn’t matter what I was wearing, what I was doing or what others thought of me. 

Halloween is a holiday that’s all about embracing creativity, and that’s an area in which many Fredonia students shine. 

Whether your costume is a last-minute hodge podge that you threw together or a $70 masterpiece from Spirit Halloween, the most important part is your enjoyment. 

Honestly, you don’t even have to go trick-or-treating if you don’t want to. The focus should be on you celebrating Halloween in whatever way you choose. 

In today’s complicated world, it’s easy to become somewhat cynical and decide that letting loose and having fun just isn’t worth it anymore. 

But I promise you, it is. 

No matter how you choose to celebrate, don’t be afraid to go all-out and bring that childlike spirit back. 

Happy Halloween, Fredonia!