(October 22, 2009) — Is Hallo-ween a way for us to re- live our childhood, or is it just another attempt by money-craving manufacturers to lure kids into an age-old tradition? What comes to mind when you think “Halloween?” Do you picture fun and games, festive dances and parties full of bobbing for bright red apples? Do you think of black and orange balloons filling up rooms and décor all around our little towns? There’s the free candy from your unexpectedly hospitable neighbors that you’ve never had the decency to utter a single word to, up until now. For the most part, when you think “Halloween,” you think candy and the unbearable stomachaches. But what if Halloween was more than just the candy corn the old lady next door dropped in your bag? The hyped holiday always has been all about little children going out late at night dressed in all kinds of costumes. And since most of us passed the “Barbie doll” and “Hot Wheels” phase, we can no longer be called trick-or-treaters. Halloween isn’t that relevant to teenagers anymore. Yet, some of us high school students are still showing up on doorsteps, tricking and treating everyone and everything in sight. Halloween is a childhood interest that even adults get “into,” sometimes even more than their own kids. I’m all for this black cat holiday, but why are we surrounding ourselves with childish events? Are we acting like children because something is missing from our childhood? Is there a hole in our adolescence that we just cannot seem to fill? Maybe “trick-or-treating” goes deeper than we think. Our focus should be on our future, letting go of our past. But why can’t we start now? When making time for these activities, that idea seems distant. It’s as if we’re going back into time to recover some missing part of our childhood.