Depending on what church you grew up in, you may or may not have celebrated Halloween. Maybe it was not a big deal, or maybe it was.
When we were growing up, we did dress up and Trick or Treat, at least up until I was about 5. Then my parents started going to church, and we didn't anymore. Most Halloweens I remember going out to eat so that we avoided having to pass out candy. By the time we got home, most of the ToT was over.
Fast forward several years. Now I have children. And nothing will make you rethink or reevaluate your beliefs or up bringing than trying to decide what you will and won't do with your own kids.
What Gabe and I decided works for us. I see both sides of the 'issue' of Halloween being evil and should not be celebrated to Halloween is no big deal and is a lot of fun. Like most things, there is a middle ground (or at least there can be).
The roots of Halloween are pagan. So is the fact that (most) churches meet on Sundays, the names of the week days, parts of Christmas, and even Groundhog Day. For real. So we can avoid all of those things altogether OR we can "be in the world but not of the world".
My kids dress up. We do not dress up and anything scary or that celebrates evil (like devils or chainsaw killers). We pass out candy. And this year I even made sure it was allergy friendly candy. It's a great chance in our neighborhood to visit with neighbors and enjoy a sense of community. We carve pumpkins, roast pumpkin seeds and hang purple and orange lights around our door.
As with everything, we can choose to focus on the fun and the good. Or we can throw it out altogether and quite possibly instill a proud and a judgmental spirit into our children that we are better Christians/more holy than those who will knock on our door later tonight. Having grown up in a church that did the latter, our family is choosing to focus on the good.
I hope that you understand what I am trying to convey. I don't care if you turn out all your lights and pretend not to be home tonight. I don't care if you show up at my house dressed like a zombie with an ax in your head. I'm asking you to think about the messages we pass on to others and, more importantly, your children.
Whatever you do today, and however you handle Halloween at your house, I hope you enjoy your day :)
