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When I was a child we (and all our friends) looked forward to Halloween. Our school put on a big Halloween Carnival, and we kids spent the whole month of October planning our costumes. It was pure magic! (And that was before "magic" was considered evil- back then it meant wonderful). After the carnival we went trick or treating in our neighborhood. I still remember the year the scarecrow on the porch got up right in front of us. It scared us half to death! Halloween meant Fall and fun. It was innocent. It was a chance to dress up funny or scary. It was mysterious and wonderful and we loved it. Imagine my surprise when we moved to a small, conservative town. My oldest son started Kindergarten, but there was no Halloween Carnival for him to plan for. The schools here try to ignore Halloween. The church we had started attending did too. A lot of people here close their houses up on Halloween and mumble about it being "The Devil's Holiday". I say NONSENSE! We are firmly Christian, by which I mean that we take Jesus Christ as our Lord and our Saviour. We all have a personal relationship with the Lord. He knows where our hearts are. I'm not about to debate doctrine with anyone. If anyone reading this doesn't think that makes us Christian, I say: Take it up with my Lord! "Who are you to judge another man's servant?" As to it being the devil's... It was originally a day when people who feared spirits and evil things tried to either appease or scare off evil things. Yes, it was mostly pagan; but then so, basically, before I became Christian, was I. I see Halloween as a fun time for the kids and us, too. We emphasize Fall decorations more than Halloween really, but we allow a few vampires and mummies, even a few witches. We play old fashioned monster movies, the kind where the evil characters "get theirs" in the end and good triumphs. The kinds of things we do are not going to turn anyone to Satanism or evil. On the contrary, they make fun of and make light of things like witches. The devil loves to make fun of Christians, why shouldn't we do it back one night a year? Just because some ignorant or evil-minded individuals try to make the holiday evil doesn't mean we have to roll over and give it to them! Instead of shutting your houses up tight and looking down your noses at people who celebrate Halloween, try opening you house and giving trick or treaters a smile, brag on their costumes, give them some candy and also a gospel tract or some such if you want. Become known as a safe place for the neighborhood kids to trick or treat. That will go a lot further towards spreading Christian good will than mumbling and grumbling and disapproving. All right, that's the end of my speech! If you disagree I'm sorry but please DON'T e-mail me! I don't need converting. I belong to the Lord, and if He tells me not to celebrate Halloween, I'll stop. But He hasn't. (And, yes, I am listening. He has little trouble getting through to me on other things, even if it isn't what I want to hear). The great cats and jack 'o lanterns background Click Here to return to the main Fall page. all pages © 2006
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