I probably posted something like this last year, but I almost feel like I have changed my mind.
Both
Josh and I never Trick or Treated growing up. It was a "evil" holiday.
Merci is getting to the point where she doesn't go along with stuff
just because we say so. Merci LOVES candy, so for her Halloween is all
about the candy, and dressing up like the Princess she thinks she is.
She began to question me a few weeks ago, and I told her I would talk
to daddy and maybe we could go the the candy store and get lots of
candy and hide it in the house so she could find it. And she could
dress up! Friday she came home with a letter from school about their
Halloween party (last year her school only celebrated Harvest not
Halloween...same school system this year so I thought I would be
safe...I was wrong.) I didn't want to keep her home, and I don't want
to NOT let her drees up, she nor the other kids would understand.
My biggest dilemma
is, if we would never have told her about the evil roots of Halloween,
she wouldn't know, and therefore would be celebrating a fun, candy
filled evening. Isn't all about the motivation of the heart??
As adult it is my job to train my daughter and make her aware of things, but couldn't;t
this have waited until she was older and understood a little more,
while she celebrated what she thought was a innocent holiday??
I
have half the mind to say we are going Trick or Treating this year.
Would that be wrong? I know it would be sending her mixed signals, but
we could pray for the neighborhood as we walk down the street, we could
still teach her about why we view Halloween as a so called "evil"
holiday, by letting her see for herself.RRRRRRRR, I hate being the adult making decisions.
Any feedback would be helpful.
And
by the way, I almost think the way we celebrate Christmas and Easter,
could be view as a little bit on the "evil" side in our day and age.
Where has the meaning gone?? It has evolved intosomething it wasn't meant to be...just as Halloween!
7 comments:
Kelly and I are debating about whether to pass out candy, or not. There are lots of kids in our development and I understand your dilemma when they really don't understand the "whole story" yet...so why "punish" them.
I also like that you brought up a comparison to Christmas and Easter. It really has me thinking. Hmm. A new post from me might be on it's way.
oh, i saw jason's post first and left a comment on that one...
such a great question, though.
Amy, you bring up the fact that I posted based on Donna's post...yet I never linked back to her post. I'll have to edit it to show where I got the idea from.
now u got me thinking donna.....that i'm gonna have to be thinking soon what to do with israel....not this year, but soon....see, as i'm learning about feast of tabernacles i see that it THIS is God's ordained harvest holiday!! and its totally better than halloween! i mean i saw a big sign at target the other day that said "festival of fright" and that is exactly what halloween is - it is all about fear! why celebrate that? at the same time, i am definitely into asking God for creative ways to deal with things...like walking throughout a neighborhood and praying for it during trickertreating kinda strikes a chord in me....may God bless you and speak to you as you seek Him...
Oh the Halloween dilemma… The school I’m at now is one of the few in the district that still has Halloween parties and let the kids dress up. I wish they didn’t because the kids are CRAZY wild allll day. The day always feels like it will never end. I don’t see anything wrong with letting Merci go to her school party. Our school parties are harmless but the problem is the “big kids”. We have a parade so the kids can see each others costumes and some of the “big kids” dress up in some pretty scary costumes that TERRIFY the little ones. Last year we had a little 2nd grader in the office covering her eyes and crying because she was so scared of some of the masks and such. It wouldn’t be bad if we had rules or guidelines on appropriate costumes but I guess to “the world” those costumes are fine being that it is Halloween. We also have a lot of kids that don’t come to school on Halloween so I’m sure Merci would be one of several that aren’t there if you decide not to send her. And if you don’t want to go trick-or-treating look around at some of the local church signs… a lot of them have Halloween alternatives where the kids can come dressed up in “friendly” costumes and play games and still get lots of candy.
My mom wouldnt let my brother and I trick or treat either... For the same reason "its the devils holiday!" haha...
but as I've grown I dont feel this way anymore.
I believe Halloween is in no way "worst" than Christmas.
Why? Well Christmas orginally was made up by Pagens. Santa Clause to me at Christmas is kind of like "Goblins and Vampires" at halloween haha.
I mean they are totally different... but both are made up and "fun" for children.
I think if someone has a problem with halloween then they should have the same problems with other holidays involving made up characters... such as the easter bunny... and so on.
After all people could say "your lying to your kids if you use santa or the easter bunny."
SO... uh
Okay im loosing my train of thought :-)
Will my son Caleb Trick-or-Treat..
Well not this year haha. Hes to young to understand... but we are going to a halloween party.
Im going as a very dark and gothic looking lady (wig, fishnets and all). Calebs going as a Clown as well as my hubby.
Do I think its wrong?
Nope :-)
I think its fun actually.
What other day of the year do we get to dress up and look like various characters.
And to the children it is really just "all about the candy."
I did feel left out as a kid because I didnt get to go get "candy." with all my friends in the neighborhood.
GTG!
Forgive the typos I really just typed what came off the top of my head
Eight hundred years ago the pagan autumn festival in Britain was christened Halloween - the holy night of blessing before All Hallows (All Saints) Day.
Halloween has changed over recent years. Where once it was a time when children mildly spooked themselves in sheets in the dark, nowadays it is all about 'Trick or Treating' in blood-curdling horror masks.
Among some parents, teachers and others, there is a growing unease about the sinister side of Halloween, and the way it tends to trivialise evil.
It can also be seen as carte blanche for children to intimidate people by threatening 'tricks' if they don't get what they want. This can make it an unsettling, or even frightening time, especially for the vulnerable.
So you see, Halloween was a christian festival to start off with.
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