This opinion was written by Savana Capp, Isabella Schreck, Grace Springer, Anneliese White and Emily Yanchak from KentWired’s editorial board. After reading this article and its companion article, be sure to vote in the poll below so we can settle this debate once and for all.
Trick or treat!
If that’s the question, we’re picking “treat” every time.
The idea of staying up until 3 a.m. for a scary movie marathon causes us dread, and it leaves us staring at the open closet on the other side of the bedroom, looking for monsters.
On the other hand, curling up on the couch with hot apple cider and watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” fills us with a cozy warmth only this kind of Halloween can bring.
Watching cute Halloween movies like “Halloweentown,” “Hocus Pocus,” “Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Scooby-Doo,” or the Disney and Nickelodeon Halloween specials, brings nostalgic memories of our childhood.
This includes one of the most iconic songs from a Disney channel Halloween special. In an episode of “Ant Farm,” called “mutANT farm,” premiering on Oct. 7, 2011, China Anne McClain sang “Calling All the Monsters.”
Activities like baking a pumpkin pie with friends or family, provide a better opportunity to bond than getting lost in a haunted corn maze.
Going to a pumpkin patch or apple orchard is another fun way to get into the Halloween spirit. It is a perfect first date, compared to going to a haunted house and fainting from fear.
Carving pumpkins is creative and fun (and a little bit messy). We love cute and festive decorations to celebrate without fear.
Cute Halloween costumes are also much more fun, practical and inviting. If you’re trying to make friends, wearing a horrifying mask or an outfit covered in blood is not the way to do it.
A family-friendly or even a sexy costume is an appealing way to express your creativity while not inciting fear.
The roots of Halloween comes from old Celtic festivals where people dressed up and lit fires to try and prevent ghosts from returning to earth, which is scary enough for us, honestly. The jack-o’-lanterns and other festivities are said to ward off spirits who would come to earth from the dead.
When the holiday became official and eventually came over to the United States, festivities of singing, dancing, ghost stories and trick-or-treating began becoming popular.
Now, we are completely down for all of that. We love hearing fun tales of ghost sightings from friends or learning about local myths at events like The Kent Stage’s annual Ghost Walk.
We’re not saying horror themes or scary things should not be part of the Halloween season. It’s fun seeing people dressed up as Michael Meyers or Ghostface at Halloween parties or entertaining the occasional scary movie like “Coraline” or “Gremlins,” but we just love the nostalgic and more fun aspects to Halloween.
So this Halloween, please don’t scare us or invite us to a haunted house. Let us eat candy apples in peace.
Savana Capp, Isabella Schreck, Grace Springer, Anneliese White and Emily Yanchak contributed to this editorial. Contact the editorial team at [email protected].
