When our children were young, and I was employed full-time as a youth pastor, Beloved and I never encouraged any kind of celebration of Halloween. We never took our kids trick-or-treating. We never turned on our porch light and distributed candy to the neighborhood kids. I never even organized an alternative "Christian-themed" event at any of the churches I served. I protested against the exaltation of all things spooky and death-related by purposefully ignoring it all.
Well...not completely ignoring it. I DID teach a lesson or two about the pagan and superstitious origins of jack-o-lanterns, gruesome disguises, and the like.
What I also did was inadvertently give credence to the stereotype that Christians are people who are grouchy, hateful, and have no desire to interact with anyone different from them.
Besides, our North American culture has done the same thing with Halloween that it did with Christmas: totally separated the current customs and celebrations from any meaningful connection to their spiritual origins.
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Truth is...As with most things, there is probably a balance between the extremes that should be strived for. I hope my current practice of dressing like Santa Claus to hand out candy canes tonight is somewhere close.
100% was the same way - and in these recent years I'm learning this is one of the only nights I get to see most of my neighbors out and about - and this provides an opportunity to greet them (along with my kiddos collecting their candy!) and to literally walk alongside some of them for a couple of hours as well. What a blessing!
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to figure out a way to incorporate "All Hallows' Day" (All Saints Day) into this all - but it would be cool if, as a family, we could reflect/remember the saints who have gone before us - including our own relatives in recent history. Still pondering this....
Thanks for the corroboration. It helps relieve me of traces of false guilt.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the idea of dressing up at St. Nick and hanging out candy canes!! What a great way to share the Gospel message as well! :) Also, he's a saint and therefore fulfills the All Saints Day purpose as well! I think you're on to something there!
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ReplyDeleteHere's an idea: We do a "living nativity" scene (minus the nativity) where we all dress up as deceased saints (like John the Baptizer, holding his head on a silver platter, or St. Nick, or St. Stephen, Peter, etc.), give a short elevator speech about who we are, why we were martyred (if applicable), and then hand out King-sized candy bars in honor of King Jesus :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! Exchange the headless horseman with John the Baptizer?!? How perfectly radical. Joh Hus engulfed in flames. Stephen holding a pile of stones. The Gruesome Gospel Lives...
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