— How Do We Navigate Halloween? —

Dear friend,

 

 

- Philippians  4:8 -

 

There is nothing more disappointing than a Christian who constantly looks for what is evil and wrong in the world. We live in the hope and overcoming power of Christ—a reason to recognize what is good and beautiful! In addressing Halloween, I’m inevitably stepping on some toes: toes that enjoy a good trick-or-treat and think it’s all a lot of harmless fun. I’m in danger of appearing like a “spiritual head hunter” who finds it fun to rob children of free candy—the furthest thing from my intent (I love candy, especially Three Musketeers).

 

I didn’t grow up celebrating Halloween (though I did attend my fair share of “harvest parties,”

complete with costumes—we’ll talk about that), and when I married, I began questioning all those childhood traditions as Josh and I formed our own. It all seemed so fun and cheery if you left out the witch stuff! What could be the harm? I researched Halloween. Where did it come from? How did we come up with these traditions anyway? Would we, as a Christian family, practice the holiday? Could it be used for outreach, if not for family fun? What I discovered answered that question for both Josh and myself. In this email, I’m not trying to convince you to do what we do, but I’m going to present what we learned along with links to some articles and resources so you can draw your conclusions. Included also in this email is a celebration guide (like the others I have done for Saint Valentine’s and Saint Patrick’s Day, as well as Easter) for All Saints’ Day, which falls on November 1st.

 

As families navigate whether or not to celebrate Halloween, they tend to fall into one of four

camps:

• Ignorance

• Imitation

• Abstinence

• Redemption

 

Ignorance: Some families don’t dig into the origins or history of Halloween at all. Perhaps they grew up celebrating it, or maybe they never thought to ask any questions—whatever the case, they imitate the existing cultural trend with little resistance because they don’t know any difference and haven’t stopped to examine the issue.

 

Imitation: Some families know the objections to Halloween but write them off as legalistic—perhaps from experience with actual legalism in other areas of life. Sometimes imitation arises from ignorance.

 

Abstinence: Some families completely boycott Halloween. They turn off their lights, refuse to open the door, and don’t participate. This may mean they participate in church events, or maybe they don’t even go that far. For these families, no association is the best option.

 

Redemption: Some families do not observe the cultural holiday but will participate in outreach events to the community on Halloween, even dressing up and handing out candy with their church family. Others will participate by opening their door to eager trick-or-treaters even though their kids don’t go trick-or-treating. For these families, the holiday is an opportunity to love neighbors even if they don’t agree with its origins. One of the powerful motifs of the gospel story is “death has lost its sting.” In Christ, death is not something we celebrate—it’s something that is overcome. While we may honor those who have passed away (such as on All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days), there is a significant difference between honoring the day and celebrating all things grisly and grotesque. If death has lost its sting, how does that impact a Christian on Halloween? Are we giving power back to something Christ defeated?

 

Although we’ve attended our fair share of costume parties in October, Josh and I ultimately decided that the purpose of Halloween aligns with the heart of Samhain. We live in an area with a strong Wiccan and New Age presence. The spiritual battle is real to us; it’s not just theory. Because we have seen the reality of Halloween/Samhain, it is not something we feel comfortable celebrating with our children. That said, for several years, we lived downtown and received a line of trick-or-treaters on Halloween. It was the one day of the year when our neighbors came to the door, and we could not in good conscience sit in the house with the lights off. We spent those Halloweens handing out candy as an act of love to our neighbors, getting to know them while we did. When we moved to a rural area, there were no longer any trick-or-treaters. Instead of celebrating the holiday, we celebrate All Saints’ Day on November 1st. We bake treats the morning of and bring them to our neighbors, and the kids get to dress up as a “saint” (Old or New Testament Bible character or a Church mother/father from our EWAT coloring book). We get to share the rich history of All Saints’ Day with our kids, talk about persecuted Christians around the world, and teach about Church history—all for a holiday that has existed for 1,400 years! Following is a short guide to celebrating All Saints’ Day with your family, including recipes, craft ideas, liturgies, verses to read, and a playlist of songs. Whatever your family decides to do, approach it prayerfully and with an eye to the long-term discipleship of your children. How are your holiday choices shaping your children’s view of God, themselves, and the world? Do they understand that being a Christian means thinking through things as “insignificant” as a holiday? If you do choose to celebrate, talk through why you do so and how your faith interacts with Halloween.