Halloween.... how to deal with others when you don't celebrate it (same as)

[OnederWoman]

Hi all...

We made the decision years ago not to celebrate Halloween.

I don't really wish to debate why we don't, etc.

I just would like to know what others do who don't do Halloween.

Do you do Halloween alternatives? Until this year we went to our church's 'Hallelujah Night'... our son could dress up (in non-scary/non-satanic) costumes and have a good time where he got to play games, get candy and hear about Jesus (it is open to neighborhood kids as well as church kids). But... we moved last December. The church we are going to is only a few months old (a newly planted church in a fast growing area) and isn't having anything like that this year. So... we may not dress up at all... which is fine with us... but our son is a bit disappointed. He is just 5 and doesn't understand why we don't do Halloween and other kids do (yes, we've explained... but he's 5).

My parents have a big problem with this (and that we don't do Santa, the tooth fairy or the Easter Bunny.... just we don't pretend fantasy characters are real... our son does know about them, we just don't lie to him). They feel we are robbing him of the joys of childhood.... that doing these things didn't harm my husband or myself... so why would we think they'd be bad for our son? We still try to make holidays fun and special... we just want the focus more on Jesus and not make-believe characters and material things. They are afraid that our son will resent us for keeping him from these things.

I got an email from one of the Elders wives from our home church a few months ago about families that are like ours. One example they gave about how they make things special for their kids so they don't feel like they're missing out is.... making the kids birthdays be a bigger deal than Christmas, etc. We plan to this year start giving less gifts at Christmas time and more at birthday. Birthdays will be costume parties (for as long as our children want to dress up) and we'll do special things, like have a clown or whatever.

Anyway... just wondering what other families do and how you deal with any extended family that may not agree with you.

Thanks.

 

[1John5:3]

Just treat the day as any ordinary day.
Psalm 118:24
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

I was praying over this issue several years ago, and the Lord said to me (not to everyone. . .but me) "Barbara, are there any other days of the year when kids come knocking on your door and asking you for things?"

My answer "no"

His answer "then use it to tell them about Me".

So, what I do is throughout the year I gather up inexpensive little gifts and put them, along with tracts in little baggies and when the children come a knockin', I give each of them a bag.

Last year, I had friendship bracelets along with candy and the tract. I prayed in the Spirit over it all and over all the children and their parents that would come to my door. The day after I had parents yelling to me from their window, "hey Barbara, the bracelets are really cool, and I read the little book too.

That's what God has me doing.

 

[OnederWoman]

Thanks Barbara...

I was actually listening to Christian radio the other day and they were talking about kits you can get for just that thing.

And on another board they suggested having a 'Hallelujah Night' type of party at our home and let our kids hand stuff out to the kids that come to the door so they get the chance to witness.

Maybe next year we'll do that. I just don't know... hubby is not for handing anything out... but if God wants us to do that, I know he'll let hubby in on it too

This year we can't... we are packing to move. We are buying a house (moved to this area a year ago and we just sold our home back in our home town... so we're ready to stop renting here) and will be moving last week of the month.

 

[Blade]

I was praying over this issue several years ago, and the Lord said to me (not to everyone. . .but me) "Barbara, are there any other days of the year when kids come knocking on your door and asking you for things?"

My answer "no"

His answer "then use it to tell them about Me".

So, what I do is throughout the year I gather up inexpensive little gifts and put them, along with tracts in little baggies and when the children come a knockin', I give each of them a bag.

Last year, I had friendship bracelets along with candy and the tract. I prayed in the Spirit over it all and over all the children and their parents that would come to my door. The day after I had parents yelling to me from their window, "hey Barbara, the bracelets are really cool, and I read the little book too.

That's what God has me doing.

Ok I'm coming to your house

 

[PASHOK]

Barbara, I am glad that there are people out there that teach truth to their kids.

1 Timothy 4:7 But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

Fables usually have some truth in them, some of the fables have more truth in them then others, however it is satans way today to deceive if it were possible, the very elect.(Matthew 24:24) He makes it look like harmless even helplfull, however the end path is death.

1 Corinthians 5:6 ..Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump

Other word you only need little of bad mixed in good to make that good bad. If you pour tea spoon of vinegar in the barrel of milk it destroys the whole barrel of milk.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Barbara, I am glad that there are people out there that teach truth to their kids. Fables usually have some truth in them, some of the fables have more truth in them then others, however it is satans way today to deceive if it were possible, the very elect.(Matthew 24:24) He makes it look like harmless even helplfull, however the end path is death. Other word you only need little of bad mixed in good to make that good bad. If you pour tea spoon of vinegar in the barrel of milk it destroys the whole barrel of milk.

Pashok,

I'm not quite sure whether you're repremanding me or not. I could not agree with you more on your above statement, by my opening my doors to my neighbors and sharing Jesus with them the only night of the year that they arrive knocking, is hardly to be considered me mixing truth with deceit.

As believers we far too often close our doors to the world, unless of course they come knocking according to our rules. . . and this ought not to be. I am not celebrating this holiday, I am however, kicking the devils in the teeth by sharing the gospel in the way that God Himself showed me was the right way for the kids I come in contact with. If any of my fellow believers are bothered by that then I request that they take it to Him, especially since He's the One Who told me to do it.

My doing this in no way contradicts scripture. Nor does it mix some bad with some good. My little gifts have nothing evil in them. Only a friendship gift (nothing goulish), a tract, and a piece of candy.

There was one woman who shared on our local Christian radio station of how she got saved when she went trick-or-treating and someone gave her a gospel tract along with candy. That is hardly to be considered an evil thing.

 

[wizard89]

I agree with things such as not having children believe in fables such as the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. However, I think it is important to a child's social life, for the child to be able to participate with friends in a tradition that most Americans share.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

I agree with things such as not having children believe in fables such as the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. However, I think it is important to a child's social life, for the child to be able to participate with friends in a tradition that most Americans share.

I believe there are many social events a child can participate in without being joined to a holiday that celebrates "fear". Scripture tells us that God does not give us a spirit of fear, but the Spirit He gives us is One of Power, Love, and a Sound Mind.

What kind of spirit do we want our children, and ourselves for that matter to have? I would think that any Christian would agree that a spirit of fear is not one that we want hanging around yet this particular holiday does build on that spirit in particular.

If I had children, I believe I would most likely teach them "why" this holiday should not be "celebrated", however, I would also teach them to reach out to the neighbors in whatever way God directs them so as to direct them to the Light and out of the darkness.

 

[PASHOK]

Barbara, maybe because English being my second lenguage, I am not always able to express myself as I want to. I do not repremand you for what you do in fact I believe you are doing what every believer in God should do. I celebrating Halloween; and I mean decorating home in scary themes and dressing up in ugly costumes and participating in other ways, only to show that one has social life and because most people around me are sharring this tradition; or our children would be left out. Which even started in churches.
True believers are not afraid to be doing something different and what is right then most people do. Noah in Bible, when Flood came was only one and his family that desided to not follow what the rest of the WORLD did.

You are the salt of the Earth Matthew 5:13

Barbara God put you as pinch of salt in youre neighborhood, I may try it my self this coming Halloween. Also it seems like, maybe in my part of country, that less and less people celebrate Halloween every year, more people find other reasons to socialize with each other.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Barbara, maybe because English being my second lenguage, I am not always able to express myself as I want to. I do not repremand you for what you do in fact I believe you are doing what every believer in God should do. I celebrating Halloween; and I mean decorating home in scary themes and dressing up in ugly costumes and participating in other ways, only to show that one has social life and because most people around me are sharring this tradition; or our children would be left out. Which even started in churches.
True believers are not afraid to be doing something different and what is right then most people do. Noah in Bible, when Flood came was only one and his family that desided to not follow what the rest of the WORLD did. Barbara God put you as pinch of salt in youre neighborhood, I may try it my self this coming Halloween. Also it seems like, maybe in my part of country, that less and less people celebrate Halloween every year, more people find other reasons to socialize with each other.

Thanks Pashok,

Sorry, I missunderstood. I know I struggled with the issue for some time, especially after I became involved in a church where I saw demons being cast out of people. I in no way wanted to make a holiday that revolved around fear to appear as OK.

It bothered me though that I would just leave my house every year. . .I felt inside that there was a better thing to do but I just did not not know what it was. I really could not see Jesus barracading Himself behind closed doors as children were knocking and/or yelling at them to go away, because "He does not celebrate that day".

Scripture says that His Word will not return void and I know that a lot of my neighbors are getting that Word that night via me. The Holy Spirit will take it from there, and He's good at what He does.

Oh, and welcome to the forums.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Ok I'm coming to your house

Sure Blade, come on over. I've missed seein' you around here.

 

[AlabamaMan]

I agree with Quaffer, she had a wonderful idea. If God leads you and your husband to do something like this, it would be great to get you kids involved with making something to put into the bags and while they are doing it let them eat some candy or make some cookies, let them hand out the tracts and things and feel they are having an impact in someones life. Explain to them the importance of what they are doing and how much they can accomplish.

Our church usually has a hayride and some games and gives a bag of candy to each kid and sometimes us adults too LOL.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

I really like your avatar Alabama Man

 

[AlabamaMan]

Thank you very much!

 

[Sunbeam]

I don't like the holiday of Halloween either. I don't like to argue it as well lol.

If I was married with kids, I would make it a family night and time to see friends.

Can I ask if this is part of a holiness church you go to? And what church denomination that is?

 

[OnederWoman]

We don't go to a holiness church. We went to a nondenominational before we moved... now we go to an Assemblies of God. Not everyone at either church boycots Halloween... it's just our personal choice and what we have been convicted to do.