By Lizzy Warner
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Monday, Oct. 23, 2006, The OG, opinions

When it's too cold to wear shorts, but too hot to be wearing a coat, you know it's fall! It also means Halloween is approaching.

Do you remember when you were little and you would come home from school to immediately change into your costume and then count down the hours until you were allowed to run outside and begin your trick-or-treating?

Well, obviously, as you get older these old feelings of anticipation haven't gone away, but now Halloween is a bit different from when you were younger; your goal is no longer just to look ferociously scary and eat as much sugar as possible.

Not too long ago, I went to Dallas & Co. to look at possible Halloween costumes, and I must admit that I'll always find entertainment in trying on all the blue-haired wigs and gigantic sunglasses in the store. But when it came to costumes, there wasn't much of a variety. Most outfits included skintight tops and a pair of fishnets, with different accessories (such as handcuffs, a genie's lamp, etc.) to make the outfit especially “unique.”

In an attempt to convince me to dress up as a water molecule (despite my complaints), my mom gave me her choice of costumes for me to try on. While in the dressing room I came across a group of girls, all around 10 years old. Now, most people would expect this group to be giggling and carrying around cute little costumes — but they weren't. Each girl was holding two or three costumes by a brand called “Leg Avenue,” which, simply by the name, is fairly self-explanatory. I must say, despite my age, I felt quite childish in comparison.

Now, unlike this little group of girls that I came across that afternoon, some of us haven't completely abandoned our inner child; some of us still dress up as our favorite superhero while carrying a gigantic bag from door to door screaming “TRICK OR TREAT!” in the neighbor's face.

More likely though, as we feel we're getting more and more mature, we prefer to find new forms of entertainment for Halloween night. For example, instead of begging strangers for their candy, many people dress up, buy their own bags of candy, and then watch scary movies with a couple of friends.

Now, I understand that this has become the routine for many Uni students, but in my opinion, instead of trying to reinforce the fact that we're “old high school students,” I think that we should use Halloween, as well as other holidays, as an excuse to be a little immature and childish.

Throughout the school year we have to strive for good grades, study for tests that can influence the entirety of our lives, and deal with pressure from peers and parents to be the ultimate well-rounded student; we're basically striving for perfection.

So when the opportunity comes to let loose, I would suggest you take it. Holidays are times to be happy and celebratory, and especially in the case of Halloween you shouldn't feel the pressure of trying to impress anyone. Dress up in that dorky water molecule outfit, get together a group of friends to go around and collect candy, then sit at home and eat all the sugar you possibly can in one night. With your schedule continually growing longer and more complex, you need a couple of days to relax and just have fun!