The Candy Contention

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools.

On Halloween, is the candy the only thing that has an expiration date? 

The holiday is known for kids dressing up and going door-to-door asking for candy, but should there be an age limit on trick-or-treating? The question of when to stay home has long been debated, and some individuals, including some of our students, hold strong opinions on the matter.

Eleventh grader Carlo Chambers said, "Sixteen to seventeen, and that's pushing it." 

However, tenth grader Watts Ueltschey said, “Fifteen,” with fellow sophomore Creed Booher in agreement.

Max Jackson, a junior, has a different take and provided the clearly reasonable age of “274 years old.”

These responses suggest there are varying opinions on when it is no longer appropriate to dress up and ask people for candy. But is this a matter of preference or something more concrete, like a law? 

According to Vestavia Hills mayor Ashley Curry, "We don't have any policies citywide . . . the neighborhood or the citizens usually enforce any age limits.” Mayor Curry used the Tanglewood neighborhood as an example. “We provide them with barricades for their Halloween celebration to help keep traffic flow separate from their trick-or-treat and parade crowds. This is a neighborhood-specific tradition and observance.”

However, some towns across the country have instituted age limits on Halloween fun. For example, according to ordinances on their city websites, Charleston, South Carolina, bans anyone over 16, and Jacksonville, Illinois, prohibits kids over 13. 

While these laws can be controversial, they aren't always strictly enforced. The reasons behind these limits can vary, sometimes including concerns about older kids being disruptive or intimidating younger children. Ultimately, the question of whether there should be an age limit on trick-or-treating doesn't have a straightforward answer. It's a blend of tradition, the history of city crime, community expectations, and personal preference. 

If teens feel like they have outgrown trick-or-treating, some common alternatives include parties, watching scary movies, handing out treats, or simply staying home and trying to sleep in through the night's candy chaos.

So this Halloween, the age limit might be less about a hard rule and more about knowing when it feels right to hang up the bag.