Truth be told, as much as I like scary movies, I’ve never been a huge fan of Halloween. Oh sure, as a kid I loved dressing up in a costume, banging on the neighbor’s doors and shouting “Trick or Treat!” in hopes of bringing home a huge pumpkin-head basket of goodies. It was the best part next to lining up all of your loot to see what you got after the night was through. However, as for all the witches, ghosts and goblins, I could do without. As an adult and as a Christian, I found myself at odds with the holiday. How can I participate in something that has its origins in pagan religion?
A few years back I decided to take the advice of a former pastor of mine who used the night as a way of reaching out to his neighbors. Instead of turning off all of the lights and pretending that nobody is home, he would carve a bunch of pumpkins with happy faces instead of scary ones and had at least one with a cross carved in it. Yes, jack-o-lanterns were once used to ward off evil spirits, but Christmas trees were once used for a pagan holiday as well. The holiday can be redeemed.
A couple of years ago, I created this Great Pumpkin display featuring characters from the Peanuts holiday special, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” It was actually pretty simple and inexpensive. I bought some cheap plywood from a hardware store, used my jigsaw to cut the characters, used acrylic paint from the craft store and in one afternoon, I had my display finished. We carved one huge pumpkin and added a few plastic pumpkins as well. This year I plan to move the display to the front of the yard, add a few more pumpkins and play music from the special.
You don’t need to be an artist to make a difference. If you are like me, you don’t get to see your neighbors very often, so Halloween is actually a great way to connect even if it is just for a few minutes. Don’t be stingy with the candy and offer some to mom and dad too. Make the night special in your way. If you have the money, why not hand out “full size” candy bars instead of the “fun size?” You will be remembered as THE house that everyone has to visit on Halloween.
I guess that the bottom line is, you can’t make a difference in your neighbors’ live if you don’t ever talk to them.
If you are interested in learning more about this topic, visit the following websites: Focus on the Family; Focus on the Family Parenting; Lifeway; JellyTelly Parents; Billy Graham; Crosswalk.
If you are looking for Halloween alternative events, i.e, Fall Festivals, check out your local newspaper, church or visit fairsandfestivals.net, myfairsandfestivals.com, pumpkinpatchesandmore.org or pickyourown.org.
Enjoy the Season!
