By Sana Yousuf, Staff Writer
Halloween, a popular holiday celebrated annually on October 31 by individuals of all ages, is quickly approaching, and many students are looking forward to their various upcoming plans and activities that will entail a night of excitement and fun. Students might celebrate the holiday by choosing to focus on dressing up in creative costumes, attending parties with friends, or celebrating the scarier side of the holiday by visiting haunted houses and fields.
Many of the students’ plans to celebrate this year involve dressing up in various costumes. Senior Sofia Solimani explains “I plan on dressing up and giving candy to trick- or- treaters. I don’t really feel like going out this year, but I still want to be able to dress up and have some fun at home.” Other students have expressed the desire to dress up in order to have a party at home with their friends. Junior Anh Le enthusiastically vocalizes that “Halloween is like prime autumn time, so I plan on dressing up and going to a party with my friends as well.”
Many students enjoy experiencing the more thrilling activities that Halloween has to offer, such as horror movies and haunted houses. Junior Zehra Thakkar states, “My friends and I love Halloween because of candy and scary movies. But since we think that we are too old to go trick-or-treating, we are planning on dressing up and having a Scream movie marathon with lots of candy.”
The celebration of Halloween might not be practiced by some students for various reasons. Some may choose not to participate in the activities at all due to personal beliefs, or simply because they do not feel like going out. Many students have tightly-packed schedules that limit them from being able to celebrate. Anna Sretenski, a senior at River Hill, explaines that “I wanted to celebrate with my friends this year, but I can’t because I have work.”
Other students might choose to abstain from the festivities because of personal and religious beliefs and preferences. Sarah Chin, another senior at River Hill, states “I don’t celebrate Halloween itself, since my mom and I don’t believe in it. But my friend invited me to a party, so I am planning on dressing up and going to that for fun!”
No matter how students choose to recognize the holiday, Halloween and autumn itself is an exciting time for many, as it marks the beginning of the holiday season, with Halloween being shortly followed by holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. As the holiday rapidly approaches, various plans are being finalized and preparations for Halloween are ensued by students. Many individuals at River Hill are eager to enjoy and celebrate a night of spooky excitement.