Last night we did our first family devotional time. OK, it wasn’t exactly a devotional. But it was a family activity. And it was about Jesus. So, I’m going to call it a devotional.

We sat down together and read The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs. Then we acted it out. Here’s how it went:

First we picked out a beautiful pumpkin from the pumpkin patch grocery store. Then we washed it off and opened it up! (Psalm 51:10)

Then we cleaned him out–all the hidden, dirty things inside! (Ezekiel 11:18-20)

We gave our pumpkin a new face! (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Finally, our pumpkin was lit from the inside and shining for the whole world to see!
(Matthew 5:16)

The Pumpkin Patch Parable tells this same story in more details and gives scriptures every step of the way. The scriptures and the story point to the miracle that Jesus does in our lives–he chooses us, washes us off, takes away all our dirty sin, gives us a new heart, a smile on our face and a light to shine to the world! It’s a beautiful picture and a long-standing object lesson that we are able to see for  weeks to come! Lydia and I were chanting, “Let your light shine! Matthew 5:16!” the whole time we were looking at our shining new pumpkin. It made quite an impression!

I know this is a blatant rip-off of the Halloween Jack-o-Lantern. Liz Curtis Higgs describes it as redeeming something that God created–a pumpkin. And can I say something else? God knew. God knew people would use the pumpkin as something scary. And that his creation would be a symbol for a mostly evil holiday. And I think he put this symbolism together for this very purpose–to redeem it and remind us how He has redeemed us!

This is an excellent book with sweet pictures and a very profound message. I encourage you to get this book even if you don’t do the carving of a pumpkin together. It will help your kids associate a pumpkin (or jack-o-lantern) with God’s love instead of with Halloween!

See my review of Liz Curtis Higg’s The Pine Tree Parable! One of my FAVORITE Christmas books!

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I’m so excited to share this guest post with you. I met LeighAnn when I was a part of a church-planting team in Florida. She is a mom to three and a strong woman of God. Plus she’s cute and funny! She blogs at Devoted Living.

In the fall of 1975, my parents agreed that it was time for our family to bow out of Halloween. I was so young when they changed policies that I do not remember trick or treating the previous year. I do remember a few awkward October 31^st s when the doorbell was ringing, and we were hiding inside our house. There was the disastrous year that we passed out candy and Christian pamphlets together. That effort only annoyed and offended our neighbors.

Mom and Dad knew that, for our family, we should skip Halloween altogether. The challenge was: what to say to people without sounding judgmental. Non-Christians thought we were weird about everything so this seemed no different. But for some reason, Christian families that did celebrate Halloween were mad at my parents. They seemed to have an unreasonable anger that we wanted to avoid the events of that holiday. Why couldn’t they let our family just do what we felt led to do?

There was this dread over us each year, wanting October to come and go without a confrontation with anyone. As a kid, I didn’t know what to say when other adults and teachers tried to convince me that my parents were depriving us of this innocent kids’ holiday.

For several years, we felt alone in the stand against Halloween. School was the hardest part of the season. My mom was a teacher and decided that it was best to let our teachers know that we didn’t celebrate at home, but that we could participate in school activities and needed no special treatment.

My older brother recalls how hard it was that our neighbors were all outside on Halloween night, and we had to stay inside. One year we were particularly discouraged about not going trick or treating and hauling in assorted candy. After school, we slumped onto the sofa. Dad came in with several big bags of candy and spread them out on the coffee table in front of us.

“What is this?” we asked. His answer has stuck with me ever since.

“This is not about candy. We will buy you plenty of candy. This is about our family obeying God. Your mom and I both agree that it is best for us to not celebrate Halloween.”

In that moment, I finally understood that we were not being punished; we were being protected. Our parents had always been strict about not enticing us with evil in movies and books, so Halloween was just not acceptable. Recently a friend shared with me that she can still see images of horror movies that she watched as a teen. These scenes pop into her mind at unwanted times. I was protected as a child, and I am so grateful for it. I have to fight sin in my own life. I don’t need any extra evil added to my load.

WHAT WE DO. My husband and I and our three kids do not “do” Halloween. In 11 years of parenting, we have approached this in several ways depending on the age of our kids. We have tried church fall festivals, but we felt like we were enjoying G rated Halloween. It took a few years to get a routine that works for our family. It’s really about consistency for me and that is not simple, because Halloween lasts for several months and is everywhere we go. When a funny character offers them candy at Sea World, we say ok. Do we dress up specifically to trick or treat at Sea World? Well, no.

My seasonal survival methods include the following: 1. watching DVDs and taping TV shows ahead so that they are not watching Halloween ads on Disney Channel for the entire month of October. 2. avoiding stores that are overly decked in mummies and skeletons. 3. finding an activity for October 31^st that gives the kids something to look forward to and gets us out of the house.

Recently, I decided to reclaim fall as a fun time of year for our family. We can focus on things that are good. The weather is nicer, and we want to be outside more.

We also plan our October 31 activity each year and include other families who are opting out as well.

Mini golf has been a hit the past few years. We try to pick a place that they haven’t visited in a while so that we all look forward to it. We snack on our favorite candy and enjoy spending time together as a family. We have redeemed the day, but it is still an effort to stay upbeat and not get discouraged by the volume of creepy creatures all in the name of innocent fun.

WHAT WE SAY. Is the fight worth it? Is this a worthy cause? It would be so easy to just go along with a safer version of this holiday, but I know I can’t. I know that we need to “avoid it all.” We are planting seeds now for a harvest in their lives as they grow in the Lord. We are keeping weeds out of the garden by not participating.

If you are looking for courage to opt out of Halloween, I hope to offer that here. Even with no memories of trick or treating, I am fine. I have no pictures of me in Halloween costumes- as cute as I would have been. I do not have regrets about missing Halloween as a kid.

The younger your kids are when you establish new traditions, the easier it is. Have your answers ready for your kids with details and verses. Tell them why you are uncomfortable with Halloween and be honest that you are praying for guidance about the best way for your family to spend that day each year.

And, most importantly, have your one liner ready for strangers. When the sweet dental hygienist asks every year, “What are the kids going to be for Halloween?” It’s now easy for me to gently say: “we don’t do Halloween.”

photo by matt mcgee

i encourage my kids’ imagination year round. Halloween is an especially fun time of year for dressing up because everyone is doing it. however, there is a lot of other junk that everyone else is doing this time of year that we don’t do. we keep the focus on dressing up, pretend play, painting pumpkins, and good, clean fun.

the only ghost we speak of is the Holy Ghost. there is no such thing as witches or goblins. pumpkins are friendly, skeletons are human bones, bats are nocturnal, and spiders eat mosquitos. Halloween, in our home, is a time for dressing up and eating candy with friends. no evil connotations. no spooky stories.

God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear but of power, love and a peaceful mind. (2 Tim 1:7)

this is Bubba’s 2nd Halloween and i’m taking full advantage of his inability to tell me what he wants to dress up as on the occasion. for as long as i can get away with it, i’m dressing my kids in {relatively} themed costumes. they make such a cute little duo!

last year, Bubba was a puppy and Big Girl was a giraffe. theme = sweet animals.

at a costume party last weekend, Big Girl was a princess and Bubba was a dragon. theme = storybook fairy tale.

on Halloween night, when we take them out to collect sweet treats, Big Girl is dressing up as Jasmine and Bubba is dressing up as Abu. theme = Disney’s Aladdin.

can’t you just see my little monkey wearing this? it was custom made by Kiki’s Things on Etsy.

and that’s how the Halls do Halloween.

how do YOU do Halloween?

:: :: ::

MamaHall is a wife and mama of two, sister and friend, daughter of the Most High, writer and reader, Jesus follower, dessert eater and coffee drinker, Gorbella’s founder, marketing gal, craft-aholic, homeschooling mama, picture-taker, coupon clipper, hugger, glass half full, easily distracted, Bible believer, and queen of her domestic domain. She is also a fabu blogger who is “making the most of motherhood” (Ephesians 5:16). She blogs at MamaHall.

We’re not doing Halloween this year. We’re not dressing up. We’re not going to pass out candy. We’re not going to a festival-y carnival-y thing at a church. We’ll probably turn our lights out and go to bed early. Why? Because Lydia is too afraid. Not necessarily of Halloween—but of every big, loud, scary thing she sees.

And like I said before, I can’t rectify trying to do something fun (ie trick-or-treating) while placing my daughter in a situation where she WILL come into contact with something MEANT to be scary, evil and/or gross. And I feel good about that decision. I don’t want Lydia to love things that are purposely dark. I want her to always be wary of things that are opposite of GOOD.

On the other hand, I’m a little disappointed because I was really looking forward to dressing up. I had 80% talked my husband into dressing up as characters from UP (hubby=Carl Fredrickson, Lydia=little Ellie, Asa=Dug, me=Kevin or Russell). I thought it would be nice to meet some of our neighbors. Plus, I love me a good Reece’s pumpkin.

Here’s the thing: Halloween is a holiday with blatant pagan roots. It just is. There is no denying that Halloween, in it’s beginning was straight up evil. And for many people today, they still identify with it’s evil-ness and celebrate that. As a Christian, I do NOT want any part of that. I don’t want my kids to see a funny ghost and like it. I don’t want a cute zombie to be something they desire.

However, in 2009 when the Halloween candy rolls out and the pumpkins start appearing, most of our world is not thinking of that evil. Most people think of Halloween as costumes and candy and neighbors.

What should a normal American Christian parent do? Well, I certainly will not fault someone for hiding from Halloween. People who choose to close their doors and turn off their lights are obeying God by staying far far away from even the appearance of evil. At the same time, I can’t fault someone for letting their kids dress up like a cowboy and get candy from their neighbors either.

I DO have a problem with people dressing their kids up as mass murderers or dead cheerleaders. (<—I know someone who let their 8 year old daughter be a dead cheerleader.) I have a problem with people decorating their homes or stores with disgusting scary things that are intended to frighten children. I used to have a friend that put fake tombstones in her front yard with her kids’ names on them. That’s just TOO much. I believe in speaking good things over my kids, why in the world would I ever ACT out something so evil towards them?!

So, what is a normal American Christan to do? Here’s a few fun ideas I’ve heard or experienced:

Safe House. Be the “safe house” in your neighborhood. Decorate with pumpkins and other fun things. Have a few carnival-type games in your front yard. Hand out food or snacks. Serve coffee for parents. If you can, get some other people at your church to do the same and have “safe houses” all over your city. Set out info about your church. Ask people if you can pray with them before they leave. It’s an opportunity to SHINE brightly on a DARK night. And to be the coolest house in the neighborhood!

Pumpkin Party. My friend Mandi hosted a Pumpkin Party this year. Everyone brought a pumpkin and she provided the rest. We painted our pumpkins, frosted pumpkin cookies and had pumpkin snacks. It was a fun time to “do” the Halloween stuff without focusing on the yuckiness. It’s the same idea as doing a Spring Party in lieu of Easter.

Church or Community Event. If you haven’t hit up a local community or church event at Halloween, you need to check it out! Most churches around us host Harvest or Fall Festivals—complete with carnival games, food, candy and inflatable games. If you go to a church it’s usually free and scary-costume-free! I’ve been to a few community events (including the Zoo) and when it is advertised as a family event, it usually is scary-free.

Go Early. If you want to do the trick-or-treating without the scare factor, just go while it’s daylight. Most of the preschoolers will be out then and most NORMAL people will know not to answer their front door dressed as Darth Maul.

Host Your Own Party. I’ve heard of a cool Willy Wonka party on Halloween, an All Saints Party (come dressed as your favorite saint) and even an Iron Chef party! Try hosting a themed event where people can dress up how YOU want them to! You might just start a NEW tradition!

Here are a few additional resources on Halloween for you and your family:

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? Focus on the Family Radio Broadcast

What Are We Gonna Do About Halloween? An Adventures In Odyssey Radio Drama

Mommy Why Don’t We Celebrate Halloween? by Linda Hacon Windwood (a book for kids, explaining Halloween’s history)

Perspective on Halloween by Randy Alcorn (one of my favorite authors ever!)

FYI: I’ve decided to do a few posts on Halloween in the next two weeks. Tomorrow we’ve got a special guest-post from Mama Hall. I’ve also got a costume post and a purposeful parenting post up my sleeve. I was going to ignore Halloween completely on Impress Your Kids but decided to post on it for two reasons: 1) Christian parents will be googling what to do for Halloween. Hopefully google will lead them here. 2) IYK desires to be a toolbox for Christian parents. Halloween is a BIG deal for kids. We want to help and give you information, options and Biblical perspective about this “holiday” so you can lead your children effectively.

photo by vintagehalloweencollector

I know. I know. Halloween is over a month away. Try telling that to the party-supply store I took my kids to today. The store had about 5-8 HUGE demon costumes hanging from the ceiling. They had attached enormous pieces of fabric to make them look like they were zooming around the store. One was a giant red devil with giant wings and was a little frightening even to me. Lydia showed so much self-control and just closed her eyes when we went by. Which is awesome for her—she would usually start screaming and not stop till we left.

So, I paid for my wares (plates and napkins for Asa’s first birthday party on Saturday!) and pushed the stroller toward the exit door. Suddenly, I hear the cashier say, “You forgot your bags!” Oops! I turned around and grabbed the bags, leaving the stroller where it was. Well, right by the exit door–so you CANNOT get away from it– is a zombie-Michael Jackson that wakes up when you walk by and screams while his red lazer eyes glow. Sure enough, Michael Jackson-zombie awoke while I was getting my bags and Lydia AND Asa began to scream hysterically. The neon-blue-haired cashier did not remotely offer to turn off the thriller-zombie OR to open the door OR to help me with my bags. It was a literal nightmare.

I felt sick when I left. I had to apologize to both my kids for taking them in that store! It was a horrible feeling.

Now, here’s the thing. I’m not  opposed to a good trick-or-treat around the neighborhood. In fact, I love me a good costume. And I get excited about candy corn and Reece’s peanut butter pumpkins. I love all the churches that do carnivals and parties in October. The past 3 Halloweens I’ve let Lydia dress up. Last year we went to my mom’s church & their festival, once we went to the Atlanta Zoo’s party and once we went trick-or-treating at my aunt’s house. Lydia had NO idea what was going on. She was just excited that we got to dress up and have candy.

Now she’s 3 1/2. And thanks to our Michael Jackson-zombie she now understands that Halloween=scary stuff. So if we do an innocent dress up this year, it’s going to take some explaining…how do I tell her, “Oh, yeah, well, we don’t like this gross scary stuff. But we are going to dress up in a nice costume and hope we don’t see any scary costumes. And get some candy. So, yeah, we hate Halloween. But we also really enjoy it.”

I had a friend that told me her parents never let her do Halloween. She and her brother were mad and thought their parents were being unfair. One day before Halloween her parents came home with bags of candy and dumped them out all over the kitchen table. They told their kids, “This is NOT about candy.” They wanted to show their kids that they weren’t keeping them from something good (candy), they were really keeping them from something evil (insane zombies, etc.).

SO. I think I’m rambling. But I’m just wondering about what you do. How does your family do Halloween? Or how do you ignore it? It’s YOUR turn…

photo by vintagehalloweencollector