7 Reasons to Go Trick-or-Treating

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Halloween draws near—the time has come for costumes, candy, and spooky stories!

It’s also a time of nervousness for many cautious parents, and rightly so—safeguarding a herd of costumed children is certainly no easy task. Some might even be tempted to forego the entire ordeal, altogether.

If they do, though, they—and their children—will be missing out on a once-in-a-year opportunity! Halloween isn’t just a time for candy-grubbing. It’s a time for community-building. No other holiday brings complete strangers to your door, nor you to theirs.

With global communication and easy home delivery at our fingertips, no longer are we as reliant on our neighbors for help or socialization. We’re more disengaged from our communities than ever before, but Halloween is the perfect opportunity to get out and meet the neighbors, to see them on the streets and to exchange creative ideas.

To help you overcome any possible Halloween anxiety, let’s look at 7 great reasons to go trick-or-treating this year.

Explore Your Community

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What’s that? You’ve never been to that tiny little side street two blocks from your house? You’ve never crossed the train tracks or seen the local fire station? And what about that cool, old Victorian house that’s out at the edge of town?

Well, if you go trick-or-treating, whether you’re a child or an adult chaperone, you’ll get to see all that your neighborhood has to offer!

We all spend more time on our devices than we do exploring. It’s just how life is now—our entertainment options are far too varied for us to go through the trouble of heading outside very often. But we’re missing out!

Every town, neighborhood, and city block is packed with places to see and explore that help us learn more about ourselves and our neighbors. After all, where we live has a great influence on us—why not take an active role in finding out exactly what that influence is?

And who knows? You may find hidden gems as you trick-or-treat—unique examples of architecture, history, and natural beauty. So go!

Get Candy

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This benefit is obvious. You trick-or-treat, you get candy. It’s how the deal works.

Candy isn’t just relegated to kids, though. Adults can share in the candied fun—a “tax,” if you will. Don’t abstain just because you’re older!

And not everyone gives out the normal stuff—those tiny candy bars the size of a quarter, accompanied by a couple rolls of sweet tarts. Some more generous givers dole out treats as varied as juice boxes, giant candy bars, themed goody bags, marshmallows, and even money. And oh—those candied apples are the best.

Others give out more practical things, like erasers, pencils, paper and pens. Don’t fault them. They know not what they do.

But in all seriousness, Halloween is a great time for getting all sorts of goodies, and then for going home and splurging for the next few days.

Just be careful not to overdo it. Your tongue will be quite happy. Your stomach won’t.

Meet New People

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Just as you’ll see new things when you go trick-or-treating in your neighborhood, you’ll also meet new people!

One of the greatest aspects of Halloween is the way it brings communities together—neighbors meet one another on the sidewalks and visit one another’s doorsteps. When else do you get to do this, all while dressed like a Viking?

Halloween further fosters this sense of togetherness because everyone shares a single purpose—to celebrate the holiday. Conversations are a lot less awkward when both participants are still soaked from bobbing for apples, or when we’re wearing clown noses or bonding over the mutual difficulties of keeping the kids out of the street.

And for the kids, themselves, Halloween is a great time for socialization. Most will simply run out there, without reserve, and start excitedly talking to their peers about what they have in their bags or plastic pumpkin heads.

Halloween brings whole communities together to share in the fun—what’s not to love about that?

Costumed Fun

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You’re never too old for costuming.

For many people, it’s the best part about trick-or-treating. When else can you express yourself so uniquely through what you wear? And anyone can do it—whether it’s as simple as face paint or as elaborate as 18th century gentleman ghost attire, the entire family can get in on this fun project.

As we’ve said, Halloween is, at its heart, a community holiday. So let your costuming bring your family and friends together for a few evenings of fun and crafts as you create your own unique Halloween look.

And don’t be put off if you’ve never sewn a day in your life! Costumes can be as easy as a trip to the thrift store, or, if you have some money to burn, to the theatre costume shop.

And if you’re handy with a needle and thread, or at prop building, then all the better. Consider a costume for what it is—worn art. It is an expression of something you are, or of something that you love, so put some time into it, and enjoy the process with others.

Trick-or-Treat for Charity

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Do you remember how some people give out money on Halloween? Well, sometimes it’s appropriate to ask for it!

There are several charity organizations that work through trick-or-treating, the most prominent being UNICEF. The way UNICEF works is simple—kids simply trick-or-treat for the charity rather than for themselves, going door-to-door, collecting donations in a special collection box.

This is a wonderful reason to go trick-or-treating, and a great way to teach your kids to give rather than take. By donating, your child can become a hero for millions of children in need.

A great way to ensure success is to work on an inspiring costume, and to be cheerful, friendly, and gracious as you go about collecting for the charity.

Remind your children that there are others who are not as fortunate as they, and band together as a family to give to these children. It’s a lesson your kids won’t soon forget.

Experience History

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Halloween has a long and storied history, and there’s no better time to learn it!

Trick-or-treating allows us to live out a piece of history, and perform a tradition that began nearly 2,000 years ago, when the ancient Celts went about performing antics in costumes in exchange for food and wine. This was known as mumming.

Later, when Christianity spread to the Celtic lands, the church established All Souls’ Day, a time for honoring the dead. The poor would visit the houses of wealthy families and receive a pastry in exchange for praying for the souls of the homeowners deceased relatives. This process was known as souling, and was later adopted by children.

Eventually, this practice spread to America through immigration, and was later limited to a children’s activity to reduce the vandalism that older trick-or-treaters sometimes engaged in.

It’s a strange and wonderful feeling to know that you’re participating in a tradition that dates back thousands of years, so make sure to share the history of Halloween with your family so that everyone can enjoy its rich story, feeling connected to the distant past as they collect their candies.

Exercise

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Last, but not least, is exercise.

Yes—the candy that results from trick-or-treating can contradict this benefit, but that’s why we don’t overeat, right? No one ever overeats on Halloween. That’s the assumption we’re going to be working with.

Right.

Exercise, though, is a serious benefit of trick-or-treating. For those of us who rarely leave our chairs, Halloween is the perfect night to take advantage of the cool, autumn weather, and go for a nice long walk, burning calories while collecting them in a bag.

It’s also a great time to talk to your kids about exercise, and to show how fun it can actually be! Use Halloween as the starting point of a weekly—or even daily—family walk. Your children will see things differently when their first experience with exercise involves ghosts and swords.

Halloween began as the eve of the Celtic New Year—use it to pass your own “new year” resolutions, and let it be the first of many beneficial walks.

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