Halloween: the college student’s perfect excuse for drunken debauchery and slutty costumes. I love Halloween. Not for the raging parties or the excuse to be a bit more risqué than usual. Oh no, I love Halloween because I love trick-or-treating. I carried on the long-held family tradition of dressing in coordinating costumes and walking the sidewalks of my neighborhood throughout high school, dragging my not-so-younger sisters with me, even into my senior year.

Admittedly, as I got older, I would get the occasional strange look or the terribly hurtful comment, “Aren’t you a little old for trick-or-treating?” Is there ever an age where you outgrow free chocolate? I say no.

There was always this one house in my neighborhood that I would force my sisters to skip because the people who lived there had been in “college” for at least 10 years. And on the way to the front door, there were always people jumping out at you or scaring you in some way.

I remember one year being chased down the street by a guy with a chainsaw and being so scared that I peed.

I stick to hitting up the retired folks, because let’s face it: Old people always have the best candy, and they don’t use chainsaws.

Since being in college, I have missed my annual box of Cracker Jacks from my neighbors and the classic Sugar Daddy candies from the retired ball player down the street. I even missed the yearly disappointment of receiving an apple from the people across the street. (Really, who wants an apple?)

Another reason I love Halloween is that I like to dress up. I’m not talking about the French maid costume kind of dress up. I mean that I miss dressing up for fun. I remember one year my sisters and I dressed up like Flora, Fauna and Merryweather from Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty.” We always used to coordinate costumes, up until I left for college.

And then when I came to Creighton, I learned that most normal people outgrew trick-or-treating by the time they turned 10.

However, I would argue that my celebration of Halloween is much more constructive than going out and getting trashed. I’m not much for the party scene, and I think that we, collectively as college students, aid in making Halloween a dreaded holiday for adults. Understandably, people will gravitate toward any reason to party, but just because it is Oct. 31 does not give anyone the right to drink like a fish and dress like, well, you know where I’m going with this – “Mean Girls” anyone?

I think that we should reign in the Halloween celebration a bit and remember how much fun it was as kids to go trick-or-treating. I was sad this Halloween because though I have found friends who appreciate free chocolate as much as I do, the holiday fell on a Sunday, and I had too much homework to hit the streets of west Omaha.

I will always love Halloween, and I will always love dressing up.

It sounds strange to admit, but I am looking forward to having kids so I can dress them up in coordinating costumes and take them trick-or-treating.