“Trick-or-treat” are commonly known words that kids say on Halloween as they knock on a neighbor’s door, either expecting a delightful treat or a fun little trick. However, recently, there has been a debate on whether these “tricks” or pranks have become too much. I believe they have not. These pranks are simply kids trying to have fun on a night where it is no surprise to find a fake bug or hand in a punch bowl.  

Writing in fake blood on a mirror, creating a fake bloody shower, or pretending to have your hand severed are some of the most common pranks kids pull on Halloween. These pranks may be seen as gruesome or horrific, but they are not meant to hurt anyone. These pranks are meant solely to get a good laugh out of both parties involved. People tend to overreact to certain Halloween pranks, causing them to seem worse than they truly are. Those who believe these pranks have gotten out of hand must realize that the intentions most of these “pranksters” have in mind are not to harm or cause destruction but are meant as jokes or little scare tactics to use against their friends. 

The purpose of the holiday, Halloween, is to either receive a sweet treat of candy or chocolate, or a funny trick. Those who believe these tricks go too far, are primarily referring to those pranks that are seen as “harmful” or “destructive.” These pranks tend to be toilet papering an individual’s household or throwing eggs at a person’s house or car. While these pranks do cause a bit of a mess, there is no true harm or damage done.  

The practice of Halloween tricks and treats has dated 2,000 years, to the time of the ancient Celts and early Romans Catholics, according to the Smithsonian. A time of creepy spirits being free and dressing up in costume in the 17th-century, has now in the 21st-century been criticized and questioned based on the fact that kids want to take their pranks a small step further. 

I believe that as a society, our generation is getting softer and more sensitive, and has turned the idea of friendly Halloween tricks into something worse than it is. Nowadays, people will take an innocent source of fun—in this case, Halloween pranks—and turn it into a reason that kids lose a little traditional spirit. I also argue that as we advance as a society, so do our resources. For instance, fake blood has advanced so far to the point where some people cannot even tell that the blood is fake. However, this does not mean that pranks themselves have gotten out of hand, but they have become better and more believable.  

Halloween is all about dressing up in costumes, eating candy until you get a toothache, and fun little screams, whether from enjoying a haunted house or being tricked that your friend’s leg was cut off. The pranks kids are pulling are not getting out of hand but are getting better as the years go on. People need to realize that being tricked or pranked is a part of this traditional holiday and need to stop taking the fun away from these kids.