Navigating Halloween as a Christian parent

[Wrongsideofpennines]

Any words of wisdom for managing Halloween with children when your beliefs seem at odds with the 'celebrations'? As a Christian I don't want to celebrating evil, witchcraft etc.

My eldest is 3 and has noticed that homes are decorated for Halloween. They won't understand trick or treating this year and I have no intention of taking them to knock on strangers doors in the dark. But I know this will get increasingly difficult as they get older.

I had planned to ignore it. I was brought up either going to the Light Party at church or staying home in the back room with the lights off. I had hoped to do the same with my children but it is just everywhere - houses decorated, 'spooky season' in the shops and on TV adverts, the childminders house, every baby and toddler group has Halloween special sessions. I don't remember it being this big a deal when I was a child and therefore never felt like I was missing out.

So do I ignore or embrace? Or something better?

You might find 'Parenting for faith' ( BRF ministries) helpful...

Sorry, nothing helpful to add, but I agree - it gets bigger every year, and starts earlier every year. It was never like this back in my day. Thankfully my DC are all adults

Well I was brought up Catholic (so definitely Christian!) and Halloween was a celebration of all Saints/all souls. No witchcraft involved 😊

I was raised in a Christian family. Church every Sunday etc.

We did Halloween. We carved a pumpkin etc. There's no harm. It is the day before All Saints then All Souls.

I'm guessing you don't do presents or santa either? because as a Christian it's about the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ you surely don't do the commercialism?

Just tell your child you don’t celebrate it because of your religion. You don’t have to join in any of it.

My parents did similar to me, it made me sad to miss out on the fun. I am an adult now and free to make my own choices. I bloody love Halloween and really go it for it each year. It’s great fun, my kids love getting dressed up and going trick or treating. I am so happy to be able to enjoy it with them.

Halloween is a contraction of all hallows eve - the eve of all saints. Definitely Christian

We’re not religious but aren’t halloween fans either. So when DC started asking what it’s all about I explained the history of the festival in England (they slaughtered most of the farm animals before winter came, to avoid needing to feed them, so lots of blood and bones lying around suddenly, also the cold weather brought vagrants out of the fields who went door to door begging leading to the very real tradition of putting out a snack so you don’t get burgled, etc), and how it’s got merged with other traditions from other countries and turned into a great big muddle.

It doesn’t have to be about religion if you don’t want it to be. Just make it a history project then move on. As to the witches thing, well obviously witches didn’t ever exist, a load of middle-aged or special needs or otherwise vulnerable women got murdered by communities unwilling to financially support them. I explained that to my child and we both found dressing up as an ‘evil witch’ kinda tasteless after that.

DC had no interest in halloween parties / trick n treating after my long history lesson 👀😬 but if they’d wanted to go I would not have been too upset. No way they’d be allowed to eat junk given by strangers though.

Do you do Santa? That's the same thing.

If not, then agree with PP, tell your child you don't celebrate that because it's not a festival from your religion, like you don't celebrate Eid or Diwali.

Sounds like a barrel of laughs at your house!

Same! For us we dressed up to scare/tricks the evil spirits?

Me too. At home in Ireland Halloween harked back to a belief that spirits roamed at that time of the year when the separation between worlds was supposedly at its thinnest. People dressed as ghosts to fool spirits.

It is not in any way a celebration of anything dark.

@Goodornot "I'm guessing you don't do presents or santa either? because as a Christian it's about the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ you surely don't do the commercialism?"
Do you realise the tradition of gift-giving literally comes from the gifts brought to Jesus in the nativity story? 🙄

OP, perhaps I find this easier as I live in a very multi-cultural area with all sorts of celebrations throughout the year. I just talk about halloween as something some people celebrate and some people don't, just like Ramadan or Diwali for example, which are big where I am. Carving a pumpkin can be fun as an autumn activity (as is eating the pumpkin!). Trick or treating is a big no from me regardless, I don't agree with knocking on doors to ask for sweets!

My mother was a devout go-to-mass-every-day Catholic, and we were raised as Catholics. She had no problems with us trick or treating (grew up in the US). It was just fun - nothing sinister attached to it at all. Ghosts and goblins were part of it - no one actually believed in it all. I remember the excitement and happy to see the kids near me enjoying it now.
I do have a born again Christian friend and she and her family have never celebrated and the kids seemed ok with that.

This is what I thought. It’s not about glorifying evil or darkness at all. It’s about scaring it away.

Of course, like anything else, things are about what YOU make them and what your own intentions are. So if you don’t intend to do or glorify anything evil, you won’t be. Some kids dress up as non-scary characters, eg Superman. They don’t have to dress as a witch or ghost.

@Goodornot I don’t agree with knocking on doors and asking for sweets either but that’s not the way it works where I live. We have a TT route people can sign up for so everyone knows which houses welcome TT. It’s not about knocking on random houses. People do some amazing decorations and are excited to give the children sweets. It’s a fun and positive community event. Would you let your child join in on those circumstances?

It's a celebration of All Saints' Eve, the evening before All Saints' Day- a Christian celebration. So you explain the significance of All Saints Day to your children (a time to remember the dead, including saints). You can celebrate it or not but it's not at odds with the Christian faith - it's a Christian festival! Skeletons, witches, ghosts etc represent those who have died.

I just did it and saw it for the innocent community event it really is. Trick or treaters aren’t practising witchcraft or worshipping satan. They just want a smile and some sweets.

Our church had started to do an ‘all hallows Eve family party’ as an alternative but kids still turn up in witch and ghost costumes. It’s fine. Jesus hung out with sinners. You can’t be salt and light if you hide your light from your own community. Carve a pumpkin with a heart or a cross - hand out sweets, smile and send them on their way with a ‘God bless you’.

Came here to say exactly this!

There's nothing evil about Halloween really. Unless you think saints and souls are inherently spooky. We do observe some pagan traditions but it is a time of year when pagans , Christians and even agnostics think about the next world and their loved ones who have passed on.

I’m Canadian and grew up with Halloween. We would dress up as all kinds of things- very rarely anything ‘evil’

@Screamingabdabz people celebrating Halloween aren’t “sinners”!

I'm a Christian parent. My kids dress up and have fun at Halloween.
I dont see why it's a problem.

Christian parent here too! Don’t see a conflict with Halloween - my kids have been carving pumpkins today. I think they will be just fine 😀

Could you take the dc to a light party at church if there is one? I don't know what they involve but they sound fun

Sorry I got confused! My comment was for @HoHoHoliday