For those who want family-friendly fall fun! While our neighbors may celebrate Halloween this month, many Christian parents question whether their families should participate. Some believers hesitate to restrict their children from enjoying fun activities along with their friends. Other parents worry about the origins and implications of this holiday. Christian families face a dilemma over how to approach this season in truth and love.
Should Believers Opt Out?
Should believers opt out of Halloween? Can we abstain from popular festivities and continue to shine Christ’s joy into the world? Parents can offer positive alternatives for their kids and others this season with a few insights and tools. Rather than succumbing to the world’s pressure, our kids can learn how to share light with grace and a smile.
Understanding the Origins
As with any issue, understanding the truth equips us to make informed decisions. In the hype of our culture’s sales and celebrations, the origins of Halloween often go unmentioned.
Samhain: The Ancient Celtic Festival
Its history began two thousand years ago with Samhain, a pagan festival honored among ancient Celts. The Celts believed the barrier between mortal and spiritual realms dissolved on October 31st. Druid priests, therefore, appropriated this date as a time to invoke fortune-telling powers and incite blood sacrifices. Pagan believers engaged in food offerings and other rituals to ward off evil spirits, such as disguising themselves to hide from entities that might seek to harm them. These practices inspired Halloween’s occult undertones and our current trick-or-treating traditions.
Jack-o-Lanterns: Irish Influences
Jack-o-lanterns appeared during the Middle Ages as symbols of the Irish folktale of Stingy Jack. The story features a conniving drunkard who made a fateful deal with the devil after capturing him inside a carved turnip. The Irish tradition of carving turnips on October 31st to defend homes against evil spirits changed to pumpkins by the time it crossed onto American soil.
Catholic Redemption Efforts
Catholics attempted to redeem the holiday by establishing All Saint’s Day and All Hallow’s Eve. Papal directives encouraged Christians to honor loved ones who passed away. This faith-based festival remains in observance but has failed to displace Halloween altogether. Our culture’s most popular Halloween traditions continue to center on occult solutions to supernatural threats.
Embracing Life-Focused Celebrations
Instead of attempting to exchange one day of death with another, we can engage in life-focused celebrations. As Christian families, we can establish positive alternatives for our children. Consider the following family-friendly fall fun alternatives to celebrate the season with exuberant love.
Host a harvest celebration honoring “gourds” blessings.
Feature the wealth of nutritious fruits and vegetables we enjoy during autumn. Feasts and picnics can abound with delicious treats made with apples, figs, pumpkins, and other seasonal superfoods. Invite your kids and their friends to create gifts and décor with fall foliage in craft projects. Include songs and party games honoring our gratitude to God.
Gather for fireside storytelling.
If you have a backyard fire pit, you can gather outside for a real campfire. If not, feel free to circle up indoors. Create a flameless campfire with string lights, wire supports, and tissue paper shapes. Whether in your kitchen or over an open flame, share smores and other campfire treats. Invite the kids to take turns reading Christian stories like the Sea Kids series.
Host a Bible character costume party or Ark-venture event.
Celebrate scripture and creationism with animal guessing games and dress-up parties. Discuss the roles each featured character or animal played in the Bible. Consider acting out stories centered on the characters represented in costume. Offer prizes and treats to add to the fun.
Give treats door to door.
Rather than completely opting out of the holiday’s community interaction, some families choose to redeem the tradition of visiting homes. Instead of taking candy from our neighbors, we can offer them small gifts. Invite your children to brainstorm inspiring tokens to share Jesus’ love with others. Ideas might include home-baked goods, handmade gifts like potholders, painted rocks as paperweights, or instant drink mix packets. Affix a favorite scripture onto your gifts and optimize the blessings.
Plan a hayride.
Join with other families for this fun autumn activity. Sing your favorite Christian camp songs and worship tunes. Give each participant a mini flashlight to punctuate the motions you’ll perform with the music.
Host a pumpkin planter party.
Purchase a few potted plants and pumpkins in advance. Hollow out the gourds and treat them to prevent molding and rotting. Save the seeds and oven-roast them during the party. Encourage kids to decorate the pumpkins with cheerful faces or designs. Include slime games to increase the fun. Deliver the finished planters to shut-ins, children’s homes, or long-term hospital patients.
Play flashlight tag.
Invite your kids’ friends and others from your community to play this outdoor, dusk-hour game. Consider having prizes like the Scripture Bear or Sea Kids books and toys from Raising Christian Kids at this event or any of your favorite fall parties.
So, this October, as you ponder the choices before you, remember that choosing faith-centered and family-friendly fall fun alternatives to Halloween can be a beautiful way to celebrate the season with exuberant love, faith, and the warmth of community.
