Let’s talk traditions: Halloween edition

Pumpkin picking is one of many favorite seasonal traditions. Photo by Grace DeSanti.

Spooky season is upon us, but what Halloween is going to look like this year is a bit blurry. Will there be trick-or-treating? Will the streets be full of kids dressed up as their favorite superhero or movie character? Will we be able to get together with friends and family and swap the candy that we got? With all the uncertainty happening this Halloween, let’s take a walk down memory lane, shall we?

I love traditions, especially the ones that come with the holidays. Halloween is a day where kids get to stay up way past their bedtime, get enough candy to last until the new year and everyone searches day in and day out for that perfect costume.   

Everyone’s Halloween is going to look a little bit different this year. My Halloween traditions have changed since the years have passed. I used to be the trick-or-treater, but now I take on a different role. As far as my most current Halloween traditions go, since being in college, I love to go home on Halloween and pass out candy. Usually, my little cousins come over and I go trick-or-treating with them (and snag the occasional piece of candy for myself!).  

Another thing that we do on Halloween some years is pass out snacks instead of candy. Animal crackers, Cheetos, you name it, we have it. I used to make fun of my family for this tradition, because after all, no one wants the snacks, they want the candy, but I must say, after being the snack and candy distributor over the years, a lot of kids love the snacks. 

Maybe you like handing out candy like I do, or maybe you share some of the same traditions that some of the students that I talked to.  

“My friends and I would all go to my neighbor’s house and she would drive us around in her truck that she decorated and we would go trick-or-treating in that,” University of Rhode Island student Tori Frank said.

After they finished their trick-or-treating, Frank and her friends would go back to her house, hang out and drink hot chocolate. I think that is something that I need to start doing because that sounds like so much fun. Plus, you can get to so many more houses in a car rather than on foot!  

“Ever since I can remember my family always went to my aunt’s house either on or around Halloween and had a Halloween party,” student Alyssa Borden said. “It’s always been a great time to see my family before the holidays start.” 

 I feel like after Halloween, the holiday season really kicks in and things get really busy, so this sounds like such a fun tradition to do right before that happens. 

Layne Williams loved to go to her aunt’s house where she would trick-or-treat with her sister and her cousins. After they finished trick-or-treating, they would all trade their candy.  

“It’s a tradition that’s so big now that we still all go over and bring our friends,” Williams said.

 I used to do that with my siblings too. You have to get rid of all of the Almond Joys and get all the Reese’s (I know I’m not the only one).

We’ll just have to wait and see what Halloween looks like this year. I am excited to see how creative people can be to keep this holiday alive. I don’t know about you, but I have heard of a lot of creative ways that people are getting ready for Halloween already. With all of the craziness happening around us, I think it’s more important than ever to be creative and make sure things like Halloween still happen, even if it looks a little different. Things like Halloweeen create some sense of normalcy in our lives. Even if you can’t participate in activities that you usually do, that’s okay, because there is always room for new traditions.