Halloween Reality Check: Aren’t you a little old for this?

We don’t know about other people, but Halloween has always been one of our favorite holidays. We have many fond memories of picking the perfect costume, draping fake webbing over a cat and consuming more sugar than was probably safe for a child.

For us, it was less about earning the biggest stash of candy and more about getting a sugar high with friends, while running around the neighborhood showing off our costumes.

We continued this tradition up until our freshman year. For Halloween our sophomore year, we spent the night handing out candy to kids in the neighborhood. Giving candy to small children in adorable costumes is a heart-warming experience. Plus, glutting ourselves with sweets is good too. If we end up with diabetes sometime in our college years, neither of us will be too surprised.

We know that some kids who don’t even trick or treat past elementary school, but then, there are those who trick or treat all the way into college. So, at what age should you stop?

It’s a tricky question, but we think that people can get away with it until senior year of college.

Of course, there are certain inalienable rules people should follow. First off, the youngest kiddies get dibs on first go at the candy. We’re high schoolers now. We’re supposed to have some semblance of self-control … more or less. Self-control may be limited to studying till 3 a.m. the night before an AP test.

Second, if people are trick or treating, it should be for the fun of it, not to hoard chocolate like Smaug and his cavern of shiny things.

Third, if you’re past high school age, you need a real costume to traverse your neighborhood for sugary treats (unless there’s that one old couple down the road who hands out hand-milled organic oatcakes). No half-hearted “throw on a lei and say you’re a hula dancer” or even worse, a “this is my costume” shirt.

Senior Eric Taw, for example, has put effort into a humorous plan. Taw obviously has his head on straight.

“I'm getting a bunch of Kucer's old students to dress up as Kucer for Halloween: white dress shirt with khaki shorts,” said Taw.

So, if you plan to stay home, stuff your face with chocolate and snuggle up in front of the TV, go for it. If you do find yourself running around the streets in a bid for candy, make sure you’ve at least got on a decent outfit. Don’t dress up as the Texas chainsaw massacre guy — if you’re in high school, you’re too tall to seem harmless like a grade schooler would in the same outfit.

Trick or treat responsibly, Saratoga.