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As a child, I enjoyed Halloween. Trick or treating, costume contests, pumpkins, bobbing for apples (of course totally disgusting now) were the traditions I use to look forward to. I even won a costume contest or two back in the day.

But, the older I got, the more confused I became about the traditions, and whether or not, as a Christian, I should celebrate or allow my children to participate.

Pagans, who believed there was more than one God and worshiped idols, were used as negative examples for Christians to avoid throughout the bible.  Halloween, according to most, is a worship of those same pagan idols. While some may celebrate it that way, I see it slightly different.

In my opinion, the “celebration” of Halloween is similar to the alterations we’ve made to Christmas and Easter (Resurrection Sunday). Black Friday shopping, Christmas trees, gift giving, Easter egg hunts and chocolate bunnies, have nothing to do with Christ. Yet they are traditions for most Christian families.

For my Christian children, who know God and the things of God, we do allow some enjoyment during this time of year. However, there are some restrictions. In no way is there ever any worshiping or idolizing of any, other than our one true God, our Lord and Savior.

This is understood. We do, however, allow for some fun. October 31st is one day of wearing a silly costume to school and collecting candy. There is no decorating our home with ghosts and goblins, no haunted houses, and never a costume or pretend play celebrating death or darkness.

As parents, we hate to disappoint our children, but we are also responsible for guiding them spiritually and leading them to Christ. If your struggle is balancing the two, here are a few ideas for how Christians can “celebrate” Halloween:

Hosting a fall harvest party

This is a great way to celebrate the change of the season with games, pumpkin carving contests, caramel apple and cooking decorating, and food. Your children will love having friends over and appreciate still having those tasty sweet goodies.

 

Read additional ideas here

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Try These Christian Friendly Substitutions For Halloween  was originally published on elev8.hellobeautiful.com