Halloween is a very nostalgic time of year, even though activities, interests and schedules change over time.
“When I was around 5, I wanted to be a unicorn, so my mom got a white zip-up hoodie and sewed a unicorn horn with a mane on the hood,” English major Abby Shea said.
According to Shea it was iconic, and the first Halloween costume she ever remembers wearing.
“My favorite part about Halloween was seeing what everyone else was dressed up as. Even though I still love seeing other people’s costumes, now I enjoy more of the media surrounding Halloween like horror movies and books,” Shea said.
Delaney Dobson, a freshman and biology major, said her favorite thing about Halloween as a child was dressing up, but now she prefers seeing animals in costumes instead of people, preferably cats because of how angry they get.
“One of my favorite costumes as a kid was being a vampire bunny,” Dobson said.
Dobson said she did some fun things during the fall this year despite juggling a college schedule.
“I went to an apple orchard with my family and some friends. I also went camping this past weekend,” Dobson said.
The enjoyment of eating candy on Halloween might decline as adulthood hits, according to Zach Bezirgan, an English major at UNCA.
“As a child, you’re very prone to just shoving mountains of garbage into your body and somehow remaining healthy. Nowadays, I feel like I can’t have half of a chocolate bar without feeling rough afterward,” Bezirgan said.
Bezirgan said some things about Halloween don’t change, like the enjoyment of Halloween movies and shows.
“As a fan of animation, I love ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. I also want to give a special shout out to the TV show ‘Over the Garden Wall’, which isn’t really a Halloween show, but it’s great for the Autumn season,” Bezirgan said.
Bezirgan said he’s had a lot of great and memorable Halloween costumes from childhood, including iconic duo costumes.
“One Halloween, I went as Jake the dog, while my much taller friend went as Finn the human from ‘Adventure Time’,” Bezirgan said.
Amelia Rogers, a freshman and education major said her enjoyment of Halloween activities hasn’t changed much as she has grown up.
“My favorite thing about Halloween has always been trick or treating, but not getting the candy myself. I love taking my little siblings trick-or-treating or giving out the candy, which hasn’t changed much as I’ve grown up, if anything, I love it more,” Rogers said.
According to Rogers, she also enjoyed dressing up for Halloween as a kid. One of her favorite costumes was a big baby.
“I wore footie pajamas and a giant baby head mask that my mom found at the dollar store. It was the least expensive costume I had, but by far one of my favorites,” Rogers said.
Dealing with a busier schedule in college means there is much less time to do fun fall activities, but it is still possible according to Rogers.
“My roommate and I have been making lots of hot chocolate in our dorm and looking at the leaves through our window,” Rogers said.
