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41 Comments

  1. Mary

    I love the idea of using Halloween as a way to spread the word. I would love more Christians to approach it like this rather than shutting off their lights.

        • Ashley

          Thank you for sharing! We spend the night playing games as a family. We will go to the local health food store and pick out candy that is “better for you”. I also like to read My Happy Pumpkin to my little one.

  2. Lori

    Love your heart, Erin! Every time I read your blog, I think, “wow, we couldn’t BE any more like-minded!” 🙂

    • Erin

      Thank you, Lori! It is so neat to find like-minded friends online!

  3. jill

    I’ve always thought that, like anything, your INTENT is what makes the difference. If one chooses to celebrate the day by dressing up as something evil, violent, etc. and participate in activities like pranks, Ouija boards, séances, and so on, then the intent is clearly un-Christian. But dressing up as positive things – superheroes, doctors, firefighters…and engaging in activities that are positive like pumpkin carving, apple bobbing, hayrides, and just generally getting to know your neighbors and celebrate the turn of the season….well how is that un-Christian?

    God knows what’s in your hear and if one’s intent is to spend the day generally being positive and community oriented, then that’s what matters to Him.

  4. Lynnie Lawler

    Erin,
    Thanks for this post…it has given me a lot to think and pray about.
    You have such a precious spirit…keep shining His light.
    Blessings~
    Lynnie

  5. Laura

    Is there any way you can share some ideas on how you make the Guess Who Loves you crafty things to hand out??? I would love to do this but I am not very creative or crafty, however I can follow directions pretty well.just making these with my children to hand out would be such a awesome memory for the season. Way more meaningful than pumpkin carving.

  6. Patricia Hesson

    I really do love your blog! We may not be on the same page as far as Faith views, but I love reading the love you have for not only your family, but your community and Jesus!
    I hope you don’t mind, but I would love to link this blog post to mine.
    I think its great how you take this time to reach out in a way that teaches your children not only love, but acceptance.

    • Erin

      Thank you, Patricia! I would be honored if you would link to the post (but just not re-blog the whole thing). Thanks again!

  7. Jill

    I find this post so refreshing!! I am a youth and children’s minister, and my family has never hidden from Halloween. In fact, I used to take our youth group to our local hospital pediatric unit and called it “No Tricks, Just Treats”. We would take bags full of goodies, coloring books, toys, Bibles, info about our church, etc. Unfortunately we stopped because a few people complained that we were “glorifying” Halloween. As for my family, we use it as a night where we go as a family and visit all of our shut-ins from church. They love the visit, and the kids still get to dress up and have fun. I agree, every holiday, and every day in between, is completely what you make it. Look for ways to glorify God in your every day life, and you’ll find them!!

    • Erin

      Oh I LOVE how your family has made this such a wonderful night of ministry, Jill!! What a neat idea to visit the shut-ins! Thanks so much for sharing your story and experience!! Have a great time this year!!

    • Karisse

      You could still go with just your family and some like-minded friends! You don’t have to let somebody party poopers ruin it! 🙂

  8. Gina

    I will have to respectively disagree with the idea of participating in hopes of spreading God’s truth with others. I don’t think we should hide away that night or shoo children away if they happen to ring the doorbell, but I think we can be a bigger witness to others by showing our strong faith in Jesus and standing up against something we know He wouldn’t want us to participate in.

    Everyone needs to decide what is best for themselves and their family and go the way God is leading them. And maybe that is sharing God’s word at Halloween. The Bible says we are not to be conformed to the world. Another word for conform could be go along with. (Romans 12:2) Personally though our family chooses not to join in.

    • Erin

      Thanks for respectfully disagreeing and sharing your viewpoint, Gina!

    • Rebecca

      Just curious what your family does. I grew up in a similar situation.

  9. Aimee

    Love, love, love your response!! Halloween is huge in our community as well ( much more celebrated than any other holiday).

    • Erin

      Wow! I am always surprised at how big it keeps getting each year.

  10. Patty

    Great Ideas!
    This year, my grandmother (my daughter’s great-grandmother) now resides in a nursing home. They had a “trick or treat” there, where children could come and dress up, play games, get candy, share cookies and juice, ect. and it was a very nice (not scary! Safe! Uplifting!) time! Maybe using Halloween to share and offer some service is another good idea. We really enjoyed it, and look forward to making it a tradition.

    • Erin

      I love this idea, Patty!! My grandmother spent her final 6 years in a nursing home, and I am sure things like this end up being a highlight of the year for the residents!

  11. Kaliha

    I was just thinking about this for next year because the thought came to me so late. Thus has been an ongoing issue with me and my best friend. She celebrates what the church calls trunk or treat. I on the other hand choose not to participate at all. The issue is when the kids are at school, so these holidays are difficult to avoid. I’d rather use it as an opportunity to spread the good news, because honestly I was going to just wrap the candy in a paper exposing the truth about holloween.

    • Erin

      I hope you will b able to use the night for outreach next year!

  12. Kim

    Since becoming a Christian, and now a mom, I’ve also been struggling with how to handle Halloween with my kids when they’re older. Thank you so much for this post! I’ve read several of your posts tonight and have bookmarked your blog to read more later 🙂

    • Erin

      I totally understand the struggle! I’m glad you found it helpful, Kim!

  13. Danisa

    wow, thankyou so much for writing this! My fiancé and I are getting married in April and are planning to have kids right away and with that we have been talking about ways to go about the holidays while still glorifying Jesus, with Halloween just passing it has been really hard for me to think of a way for our future kids to still enjoy the fun part of Halloween without all of the yuckiness that surrounds and I loved the way this post explained it!
    xo

  14. Jenn

    I had no idea that Halloween made Christians feel divisive. Why do you think that is? I just think it is a fun time of year to decorate your house and have people over to eat too much pizza and pass out candy to the neighbors for 6 hours. We put a fog machine at the top of our stairs, and the entire ceiling was sprawling with spider webs, and all the tables and windows had green and purple lights in them. I didn’t know this was supposed to be a religious holiday – am I offending my neighbors by not adding a message about Christ to the candy I give their children?

    • Will O

      I think a lot of people struggle with the idea of the demons and other scary things that come along with halloween.

  15. Julie-Rose Tedrick

    I grew up being VERY anti-halloween and by choice really, my parents were divorced and at mom didn’t celebrate, dad did. Either parent was ok with me being at the other’s house that evening to celebrate as I would but I always chose mom’s. I don’t regret the wonderful family nights we had on Oct. 31- but I do feel like I missed out and also further ostracized myself from my peers because I was already picked on and very outspoken about my halloween feels. Well as an adult, with kids, and married to someone who always participated in a more light hearted way- I had to spend some time reconsidering and really understanding why I felt the way I did. I came to the conclusion that I understand why many people, including my younger self, have such qualms with the holiday- but also that there are many good/appropriate ways to redeem/celebrate- just like most of the holidays we currently celebrate. It’s something I still wrestle with every time Oct. 31 draws near but my children adore dressing up and candy (who wouldn’t?) and as they are getting older and actually understanding what we’re doing we are finding ways to incorporate some “Light shining” activities and starting our season of thankfulness and giving early! I so very much appreciate this post!

    • Erin

      Thanks so much for sharing your story, Julie! I can understand. I know it’s always been controversial in our Christian culture. I love using it as a way to point people to Christ!

  16. Joy

    The church we attended when our children were Young would have a theme and the children would dress in costumes related to the theme. And then one year they just said dress as your favorite Bible character. But by far our favorite was the year that they could choose anything (within reason and not scary) from the Bible. One little boy came as the rock that Jacob slept on. Then there was a boy dressed as a well and his sister was “the woman at the well”. We had a stable, a manger and many more. Kids were reading their Bible to find something very different and not something easy to guess. It was great. The youth would also participate. It was full of laughter and fun. It was also open to the community. Publicity shared what to where and how to find something. But if they came as Superman, that was okay too. They heard many Bible stories in just one night.

  17. Michelle

    Truthfully, even as a child, I always felt unsettled and uncomfortable in my spirit with Halloween. As an adult believer, I studied and learned that God forbids us having anything to do with the dead, witchcraft, and spirits, which helped me understand more why I always felt uncomfortable.

    However, there is a wonderful holiday – Purim – based on the book of Esther that has all of the fun of Halloween (costumes, sweet treats, games and parties) but none of the aspects God commands us to stay away from doing or associating.

    I think our testimony is most powerful by what we embrace and what we don’t embrace. We can certainly talk to people and reach out to people in our community on Halloween, but I think if I were doing that, I would do so by clearly not joining in on the holiday. And then I would host Purim parties instead – inviting everyone to dress up and come on over!

    In our family on Halloween, I take my children to a local store and let them buy a ridiculous amount of candy, and I tell them that following God’s word is the sweetest treat of all! They love it and don’t feel bad because Purim is so much more fun and not “dark” in any way. (Thank you God!) God’s word contains “all we need for life and godliness” – we aren’t missing out on anything when we live out His word.

    “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” Ephesians‬ ‭5:8-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

    We don’t need to participate ourselves in pagan holidays in order to minister or reach out to people who are. But we certainly can create light in the midst of the darkness by what we share, give and choose not to do. A fall festival is great – as long as it looks NOTHING like a Halloween party, and preferably NOT on Halloween. I don’t think God wants us to redeem Halloween any more than He wanted ancient Israel to redeem Baal worship gatherings. He wants us to exalt and celebrate what is in His word, be light in the world, and move people away from darkness. We can’t be a light (which is set apart) if we are doing what everyone else is doing (and we look and act like the darkness).

    • Shana

      I agree with this so much! Halloween’s roots are fully pagan and the Church of Satan has some deeply eery statements about Halloween and the participation of so many in it. I see clearly and consistently in Scripture the command to have nothing to do with withcraft, sorcery, etc. Even if one sticks to “friendlier” costumes and decorations, they’re still associating with and endorsing the holiday.

      Another alternative is to celebrate Reformation Day, which is the same date. I like your Purim idea, too! I think it’s important to have celebrations; the Israelites were given many. But aligning with a holiday that glorifies death? No thank you.

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