Every high school student knows that the two weeks leading up to the final day of the quarter are probably the most stressful two weeks in existence. I’ve attended every quiz retake possible in an effort to bring up some borderline grades. Quizlet has become my new best friend. While I’m stuck in my room going over vocabulary words for the latest Spanish test, my sister is going to the biggest Halloween store my mom is willing to drive her to with her friend to plan their complicated costume, and attending various haunted houses and forests in the days leading up to her favorite night of the year. While she goes out with her friend, dressed as the British duo Sophia Grace and Rosie, I’ll be too weak from my Week of Hell to move.

With the stress of homecoming and desperately trying to bump up grades by the end of the quarter, many students like myself have forgotten about Halloween and all its traditions. I’ve been so caught up in school-related stress this month that I’ve completely forgotten about what many look forward to most in the month of October: Halloween. I haven’t gone to any haunted houses, and although my house is thoroughly decorated for the holiday, I took no part in helping my family decorate, choosing instead to study for an upcoming unit test. I hadn’t realized until now that Halloween is so soon.  It seems that I am simply too busy to take part in what used to be my favorite holiday. This thought itself makes me nostalgic for all my past Halloweens. It seems as though I have come to the very sad answer: I am simply too busy for Halloween.

It seems like a cruel prank: plan the last day of grades to be on Halloween. That way, kids will be just coming out of their stress-induced daze to realize that it’s Halloween and no plans have been made. The childish wonder  and anticipation of Halloween is over for most teenagers. The timeless tradition of trick-or-treating is now considered childish, and most teenagers opt to attend parties instead. Even if you may want to dress up and march down your street, adults will no doubt look at you funny, and other teens will be confused. This is just one thing that becomes socially unacceptable as you get older. I will forever feel jealous of the toddlers on my street who are still content to dress up as princesses and look forward to Halloween all month long. Not only do they get bags of candy and compliments on how adorable they are, but they also don’t have to worry about seeing a 79.1 on Edline and not being able to do anything about it.

At the end of the quarter, our grades will be locked in, and the magic of Halloween will be over, flying by unappreciated by so many. I’ll live vicariously through my 12-year-old sister and any other bit of Halloween excitement I can find left. Next year, I will be sure to put down my flashcards for a while and attempt to enjoy the Halloween wonder I enjoyed as a child- you know, before high school came along and ruined everything. But for now, you’ll be able to find me buried in review packets and textbooks until the era of jack o’lanterns and scary movies are over for this year. I wish I was able to offer a solution to these holiday conflicts, but I am not in a position to do so- I still have many flashcards to make and vocabulary to study before I can think about candy corn and pumpkins. I wish I hadn’t been so consumed in my grades to celebrate the last day of October, but at least my studying will hopefully pay off in some sort of consolation. There’s always next year for Halloween tricks and treats.