October has come, and with it a very popular, very scary and very festive holiday: Halloween. What are Mundelein’s thoughts on Halloween?
Samantha Rizzo, an English teacher, said that she likes Halloween because of how fun it is as a community, such as decorating, giving out candy, and trick-or-treating.
Wyatt Peters, a freshman, said his favorite part of Halloween is wearing costumes. “The process of thinking of what to wear and trying to execute that is a pretty fun process.”
Freshman Evan Clifton stated that he likes Halloween because of getting free candy. He expressed his enjoyment of “getting free food for dressing up like a funny little guy.”
“Honestly, dressing up [is my favorite part of Halloween.] I really like dressing up for things,” Nylah Sirmons, a senior, said. Some of her past costumes were things such as witches, pirates, cheerleaders, Carmen Sandiego, and Little Red Riding Hood.
Like all holidays, different people have traditions that they do throughout the Halloween season.
Rizzo has said some traditions are decorating her house for the season and watching classic horror movies.
Peters stated that he carves pumpkins every single year with his family. “It’s kinda yucky to have the guts all over your hand.”
Sirmons said that when she was younger, she and her friends used to go trick-or-treating every year before that tradition was sadly stopped.
As with all things, improvements can be made.
“Cheap costumes could be better because they’re laughably bad,” Clifton said regarding something that is lackluster. He gave an example of a Lego costume he once owned which broke two days after Halloween.
Rizzo stated that the main thing that could make Halloween all the more fun is getting rid of the social stigma of older kids trick-or-treating. “I had friends who their neighborhoods didn’t let them [trick-or-treat] after they were 12, and that’s kind of a bummer.”
“Figuring out what houses are allowing trick-or-treaters and which ones are not [is difficult.] When I used to go trick-or-treating, it was ‘if they would have their house light on then you can go.’ You need more of a symbol or a sign ‘we’re not accepting anybody’ or ‘yes, we are accepting, come on by,’” Sirmons stated.
When asked why so many people like Halloween there were two general answers: dressing up and being fun with the community. Sirmons said that she believes people like dressing up and pretending to be something or someone that they’re not. Rizzo said that the safe way of getting thrills and scares without needing things such as amusement parks and the like is another huge appeal to the holiday.
With Halloween right around the corner, people are very excited for the fun to start. Whether you carve pumpkins with family, dress up, trick-or-treat with friends, or give out candy, the community reminds us that Halloween is best when it’s shared.