Letter: Has Halloween lost its magic?

When Lauren Burns’s 4-year-old daughter, Belle, arrived at preschool dressed as Saturn for Halloween, there was just one problem: her costume was too big to fit through the doorway.

It was a moment of childhood imagination, creativity, and perhaps a little too much papier-mâché. But for Burns, a Weston resident and mother of two, memories like these are what make Halloween special.

Burns remembers her mother making Halloween costumes. The holiday wasn’t simply about dressing up or collecting candy. It was about preparing together, decorating the house, and spending time as a family.

As Burns entered her teenage years, her Halloween celebrations began to change. Like many teenagers today, she started spending more time with friends.

When she became a mother, Burns carried those traditions forward, making costumes for her own daughters, including Belle’s unforgettable Saturn outfit.

Beyond costumes, the Burns family spent Halloween carving pumpkins, preparing pumpkin muffins and seeds and decorating their home together. Even when Burns and her husband were too busy to organize activities, their daughters insisted on keeping the traditions alive.

Today, Belle is a teenager, yet the family still celebrates many of the same traditions they enjoyed when the girls were younger.

It made me wonder whether Halloween loses some of its magic as we get older.

I still remember walking along Silver Hill, practically jumping with excitement at the possibility of snagging a king-sized Snickers or a bag of Haribo gummies. Back then, Halloween felt like one of the most exciting nights of the year. Looking at it now, I can feel some of that magic slipping away. There’s the constant FOMO of not being invited to a party or having your best friend choose someone else for the duo costume you’ve been planning. Suddenly, Halloween feels stressful, so different from those magical nights of doors opening, candy being handed out, and smiling parents greeting you along the way.

As we get older, Halloween’s meaning to everyone changes, but perhaps it hasn’t lost its magic after all. The excitement of trick-or-treating may fade, but the memories of homemade costumes, carved pumpkins, and time spent together can last far beyond childhood.

Cleo Luo, Weston High School, Wildflower Lane