It’s that time of the year again. Halloween is upon us and you are probably asking yourselves, “Am I really too old to go trick-or-treating?” Well, hopefully, I can answer that question for you.

Before making the decision of whether to trick or treat, you should ask yourself why you want to. You really need to determine what your motivations are. If, for instance, you want to go out just so that you have some extra candy lying around the house for a few days or, let’s be honest a few hours at most, then perhaps you are not in the right mindset to partake in this yearly tradition. On the other hand, if you are wanting to go out and enjoy the essence of the holiday, creating from scratch the greatest costume you can think of, not just putting a sheet over your head and calling it a ghost, then maybe you still possess the right attitude to go out and embrace your inner child for a few short hours and enjoy some candy as a bonus.

Whatever your motivation, you need to remember a few things as a college student going trick-or-treating. First, you need to realize that this activity is something that a lot of people think you are too old for. It doesn’t matter how elaborate your costume if you walk up to someone’s house, ring the doorbell and ask for candy, people are going to give you a few weird looks. Second, you have to be sure that you stand out for the right reasons. There is a story that comes up every few Halloweens about a group of college guys who go door to door reverse trick-or-treating. They ring the doorbell and hide behind their own door that they’ve brought with them, with a sign on that says “please knock.” When their door is inevitably knocked, they’ll “open” it and, dressed as old ladies, give candy to the people who knocked.

This story is one of the greatest things I have ever heard. The first time I heard it, I thought to myself, “Charlie, that is something you could totally get a group of guys to go do.” It is unexpected, funny, playful and completely in line with the real spirit of the holiday. This is just one example of a way that you can still go trick-or-treating as a college student or adult and make is as enjoyable and not at all awkward for the people you go to.

Maybe you want to find a way to go trick-or-treating and help people. Maybe it’s by going to a children’s hospital or pediatric wing of a hospital and visiting kids who can’t go trick-or-treating themselves. You can hand them candy while dressed up in some kind of superhero costume. This is still a way to trick or treat while maintaining your status as not a juvenile.

Maybe you can think of another way to make trick-or-treating a fun and more adult way to enjoy your Halloween. If you’re of age and up for dressing up for a night, your trick-or-treating might be to go on a pub crawl to the plentiful local bars and pubs doing costume parties on the night of or around Oct. 31. If you do decide to do this type of trick-or-treating, do yourself a favor and don’t do the ultimate trick of driving drunk. There are plenty of ways to get home, including calling an Uber or Lyft, or even using the free for Washburn students Safe Ride, a service available from WSGA which will give you a ride home from any drinking establishment in Topeka. If this is something you need for Halloween or any other night for that matter, just call 785-267-3777. It could literally be a lifesaver.

Whatever you do this Halloween, trick-or-treating, hanging out with friends, passing out your own candy to children, just make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. And as always make sure you are staying safe.