The creepy decorations, spooky stories, creative costumes, and, of course, a truck load of candy. This time of year these are all the things associated with celebrating Halloween.
My husband and I both grew up in Christian homes not celebrating Halloween. Our parents did not believe that participating in a holiday celebrating evil spirits, witches, the living dead, etc was necessary or beneficial for building a firm foundation in Jesus Christ.
On Halloween I remember going to the music room in my elementary school and watching movies and spending the whole day there. All my peers were participating in the Halloween parade, showing off their costumes, and enjoying sweet treats. It wasn't horrible, but I didn't exactly enjoy the day either.
At that time in my life, I dreaded the holiday. However, over the years looking back, I have come to realize not celebrating Halloween helped strengthen my foundation in Christ. This taught me to "go against the flow" and to be set apart from my peers. My parents sought God in their decision and it benefited me and our family in the long run.
Now that my husband and I have four beautiful children of our own my wishes, as a parent, are to take from what my parents taught me, seek God's guidance, and see how it applies to raising our children. Every family is different....every child is different....every home needs different rules and boundaries.
The subject of whether or not to celebrate Halloween was not an easy decision. I debated back and forth over the issue. I spoke with individuals completely against Halloween and spoke with those who did, in fact, celebrate. All of these individuals love Jesus and had quite varying opinions on the matter.
The biggest piece of information I gathered with those who I spoke with is "It's all in what you make it to be."
I considered letting my kids dress up in fun costumes with nothing violent or scary, but after seeing violent and scary costumes older kids were wearing to elementary school I decided my children didn't need to be exposed to that at such a young age. I decided to buy them costumes (after they go on clearance) just for dress up fun around the house.
I wanted to find a way to set ourselves apart from the world.
Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
Yet, I also did not want my kids to miss out on having fun.
For the longest time, when asked about Halloween, I always stated "We do not celebrate Halloween." Recently after seeking God I realized, we CAN celebrate Halloween while honoring Christ. It is all in WHAT we celebrate. :-)
So after MUCH consideration, I kept my oldest two boys home from school yesterday. I made sure to have their favorite foods waiting for them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I also had some special treats they are normally not allowed to have (Candy & Chips).
We made crafts, played board games, and ended our fun fest with a treasure hunt!! They had a blast!!
They had just as much fun or more than their peers at school were having. I explained to the kids that we were celebrating that Jesus is bigger and stronger than any evil we face here on earth. And THAT is what we celebrate on Halloween. :-) We made Jesus the focus of our celebration.
So we did not celebrate as the world celebrates, we honored Jesus, and we had a blast together!
When it comes to things like Halloween, I think every parent needs to seek God, read scripture, and pray about what is best for your family. As long as you do that, I'm sure God will speak to your heart as to what you should do in your family. It's not easy being a parent, and what works for one, doesn't necessarily work for another. I don't judge those who don't raise their children exactly as I do, and I ask the same of others toward me and my husband.
That being said, I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween yesterday!
