Halloween???

After doing some research for a MOPS project, I found some wonderful books on Halloween and was inspired to write this post. I know some of you won't agree with me, but I did want to share why our family celebrates it. As Christians, it is a touchy subject, I know. Some do and some don't and I think we all need to respect one anther's convictions. Here is why we do it.

1. It is very hard to ignore Halloween. My children see it everywhere. Their friends talk about it at school. I don't want them to feel left out and feel that being Christians mean we can't do fun things, especially when we can make it Christ-centered.



2. With that, we do not celebrate anything that is considered "evil". My kids know the verse, Whatever is noble, right, pure...think on these things (Phil 4:8). When we see the bats and ghosts, I remind them that some people decorate and dress up with those items, but we do not (and then explain why). When we trick-or-treat, we do not go to any house that is decorated scary and make sure to use our manners too.
   
   
3. The girls are only allowed to dress as "good" things. Right now, they want to be princesses and girly-girl characters, so I haven't had to address that.



4. There are so many wonderful opportunities to reach out to your neighbors! You can buy tracks and give them out with candy. The neighbors are all out and about and it is a fun way to get to visit and meet new people. We are out there as "workers" (Matthew 9:37) in our very own front yard.



5. There are TONS of books, resources, and activities to focus the day on Christ. Check out what we did last year HERE and HERE. I remember when I taught preschool that we spent an entire week on things you can do with pumpkins. Lots of teachable moments here! I will also list some more resources at the bottom of this post.



6. I know several people who do Harvest instead of Halloween. I think we may change to it too. I know Cara will be having a Harvest Party at school this year. I think it is a wonderful alternative but the Fall atmosphere, fun, and food is still there. I loved going to the Harvest parties when I was younger that the church hosted. I got to wear my costume, get candy, play games, and have tons of fun. I wish our church did it here.



7. Halloween/Harvest is a great time to practice hospitality. Invite some friends over and eat some yummy treats, watch The Great Pumpkin, play games, and let the kids give out candy to the neighbors.
8. I do love the family time we get to spend together. We make a themed dinner, go trick-or-treating, watch a movie (The Great Pumpkin-a classic!), and have a yummy dessert (I let them have a few pieces of candy, but the rest is put away for later).

What do you do? Do you have anything you could add to this list? I am always looking for fun things to do with my kids, so do tell!

Here are some resources:

The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs (my favorite!)

Let's Let Jesus Light Shine on Halloween (board book) by Diane Stortz

I do not have the next two books, but they do look rather interesting.

*The Un-Halloween Book by Legacy Press

*Redeeming Halloween by Kim Wier and Pam McCune