My husband never celebrated Halloween growing up. Part of it is because of our beliefs, and part of it is that up until he was 13, it was over a mile to the nearest neighbors (other than his grandparents). The past 6 years we haven't done anything. One year we did play games at a friend's house, last year we had church, and every other year we locked ourselves in our home and watched tv or a movie in the back room. The back room in this house is one of the two rooms that isn't done, so we can't just act like we aren't home. So, we bought some tracts and some candy to hand out if anyone comes by. We aren't going to turn on the front porch light, but the office is on the front of the house and we will probably turn on the upstairs hall light which is visible through the entryway window (two story entry)...
Did we dress AJU5 up? No. She is wearing an orange shirt with a squirral and fall leaves on it. So, she is sort of in a Halloween outfit. I thought about putting her in her cheerleading outfit, but I decided to save it for tomorrow (big game against the other team I root for!).
So, why are we not all for Halloween? Well, first there is the pagan background. We (as a nation) have moved away from some of this, but the ghosts and goblins are still part of the day. Also, there is all of the scary things that I don't think kids need to be exposed to. Plus, what is the redeeming quality of the day? Dressing up? Candy? I think you can give your kids an opportunity to do these things at other times of the year. We will have dress-up constumes and probably have at least one themed birthday party. Candy will be allowed in moderation at other times of the year (and even at Halloween when she is older).
What about Fall Parties? We aren't against these but we also are for them. We go to a really little church, so we don't have one. If the curch did have one, we might go. It just depends...
Feel free to comment about your thoughts on Halloween. Some of our best friends celebrate it - others don't. It is a personal decision...
1 comment:
I guess I'm in the "harmless fun" camp. I think you will have a hard time convincing your little girl to skip it in another year or two.
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