Although Halloween is officially on Monday this year, most will celebrate it over the weekend.
But for Christians—and especially Christian parents—Halloween can present a dilemma. To do or not to do? To participate or not to participate? That is the question.
Many believers are conflicted by the celebration of death, black magic, evil…They’re clear about not garbing themselves or their kids in devil tunics, but they don’t know if they should even participate in Halloween at all because of its druid, witchcraft roots.
Others, of course, are oblivious to Halloween’s satanic origins. And many simply don’t care. An excuse to party is not to be missed. And, in any case, even Christmas can be traced back to pagan roots if you really want to scrutinize.
But Halloween is quite different from Christmas. Christmas, after all, is commemorates Christ’s birth—at least to believers—regardless of origins. Halloween, on the other hand, usually focuses on scary, goulish, gory, dark, death… But it doesn’t have to. The key is compromise.
Most parents don’t want to deprive their children of the fun of the occasion, but only the darkness. They don’t want their kids to feel deprived and frustrated so they opt for an alternative, a compromise. Here’s a fabulous alternative: The Harvest Party.
Rather than letting kids go from door to door begging for candy, let them dress up in a fun costume, and then take them to a local Harvest Party where they can enjoy awesome rides, games and free candy to their heart’s content.
Many local churches provide Harvest Parties. Granted, since these parties are open to all, some kids will come donned in distasteful garb. You can’t protect your children from everything. But you can prepare them and then let them have a fun time in a good atmosphere.
North Coast Calvary Chapel, for example, offers a huge Harvest Party on their splendid property in Carlsbad. Free! The fun begins around 4pm and goes on for most of the evening. A plethora of rides, games and endless streams of candy provide an evening to remember. Food can be purchased, but the rest is free. And the kids get to dress up in costume, connect with other children and have a super evening. A win-win for all.
You can also check out other local churches to see if they too host a Harvest Party. Enjoy.
Janey DeMeo M.A.
Copyright © October 2011
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