I've never been a huge fan of Halloween. When we were REALLY little, my parents let us trick or treat for a couple years. Then, for a few years we didn't, then, we did again a few years after that. I think some of the pressure of public school may have been an issue? I don't know about now, but back when I was in grade school, the entire school did a whole "Halloween Day" where all the classrooms paraded through the other classrooms, had candy, played games... it was quite the ordeal.
Anyway, I'm writing to just kind of put this thought out there. I don't get the point of Halloween! I mean, I've read stuff on where it originated from, what it first meant to those who started it and I do realize that for most Americans, it's just a fun thing. What I don't really get is why we do it. Why? Christians especially, why? What's the point? Just to have fun? Okay, I can see that a little bit. Free candy, family time, artistic expression, meeting neighbors and of course, getting your little kiddos all dressed up. Sure, good points, all of them.
I just fail to see how Halloween, albeit super-far removed from the old Celtic beliefs and practices, is something we should encourage or give so little thought to. Maybe more people think hard about this issue/Holiday than I realize... if so, no one has said a single thing to me. I mean, don't we (as Christians) get on other people's cases during Thanksgiving and ESPECIALLY Christmas about staying true to what these Holidays are based on? Last year, our church showed the Advent Conspiracy video and encouraged us to think about how we have just gone along with the flow of what Christmas has become for godless Americans. Yet, at Halloween, we hand out candy, are encouraged to dress up our children and participate in a holiday that is far removed from its origins (and thankfully so) but not a single thought-provoking word is given about what this looks like?? Weird, just weird.
I find myself tempted to just give in, after all, it's all in the name of family fun and adventure... seems harmless enough. My kids would be SO cute dressed up as little animals or something creative! I feel the pressure to do something I don't even want to do and that people wouldn't give me any crap about. I realized last night that if I can give in to something for such shallow reasons, there are likely other things in my life I might give in to for reasons that seem really good or will gratify other deeper longings. I don't know, I don't have a good example really... I'm just pondering. How can we so easily fall into doing things for the sake of doing? For the sake of fun? I am serious here, if you have some good reasons or good insights, just share them with me! Publicly or privately is fine.
All I know, is that I want my energies to be spent on reaching the lost and helping other Christians continue in the faith, not just doing what everyone else does so that I can have some fun too. I don't think that all my Christian friends who dress up their children are terrible people. I do think that we don't think (or talk) about this stuff. How many regular "rituals" do we have that are mostly purposeless and are completely molded in with this tainted world? Halloween was based on fear, based on warding off evil spirits... things which we know as Christians have ZERO power over us when we proclaim Jesus' name. So for me, I just don't get the point. Unless God truly changes my heart on this, we'll spend every Halloween enjoying company together as a family (at home, at the mall, wherever) encouraging one another while it is still called today. Because the less we think about what we are purposefully doing for God's kingdom, the less we are going to be doing it. And really, when Christ comes, I don't want to be trick or treating, or watching movies, or whining or doing my hair (maybe I won't be able to help that one)... I want to be pursuing Him and at this point in my life, I have trouble seeing how Halloween fits in with that.
If you want to see a good overview of Halloween's history, here's a good link...
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
