Community Corner

POLL: How Old Is Too Old for Trick-or-Treating?

Should teens be out soliciting candy on Halloween?

Most of us have all experienced it—a teen or group of teens, oftentimes not even wearing costumes—who show up at the door on Halloween wanting candy.

Sometimes the teens might make some small effort at a costume—a mask perhaps or some type of prop. Other times, these trick-or-treaters are wearing street clothes, carrying pillow cases or large bags and expecting you to just hand over candy.

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Personally, I don’t mind teenage trick-or-treaters when they make the effort to entertain me with a real costume and observe the niceties such as actually saying “Trick or treat” instead of just holding out their bag like some kind of highway robber. I also appreciate it when the trick-or-treaters—no matter what their age—remember to say thank you.

Unfortunately though, it seems as if more and more un-costumed, ill-mannered teens hit the streets on Halloween each year. The choice for those who decide to distribute candy is to either hand over treats to these teenagers or risk becoming the victim of an egging, yard rolling or worse.

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Do you think it is appropriate for teenagers to go trick or treating? How old is too old to go door to door begging for candy on Halloween? Take our poll or tell us in the comments.


This article was originally published on Dacula Patch on Oct. 18, 2011.


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