Hallowe’en Dilemmas

Hallowe’en. Possibly the most controversial amongst Christians when it comes to how to celebrate – or whether to celebrate at all.

I admit I’ve had mixed feelings – and actions – over the years. As a child, I loved Hallowe’en. It was right next to Christmas in terms of anticipation. Planning my costume, class and school parties, going door to door trick or treating… and of course, all that candy afterward! Anyone else remember sticking your head in the pillowcase you used to collect the goods, trying to find something amongst the empty wrappers since all the “good” candy had been consumed?

Things changed for me once I had my own children. By that time, I had become a Christian. I was torn between wanting to let them have those same memorable experiences and NOT wanting to glorify the devil. There is already too much evil in the world, so why celebrate it? As well, Satan is often portrayed as someone to admire, which is a lie. Still, there was a lot of innocent fun to be had, and I am not opposed to dressing in costumes. (I am a drama teacher after all!)

We moved a lot when the kids were young, so they were exposed to many differing views on the topic. Some Christians were absolutely against any type of celebration, while some churches we attended had their own “alternate” parties on October 31. (Some even called it “All Saints Day”, which technically occurs on November 1.) They still got to dress up and get treats, but in some ways, it felt like a cop-out. You might as well just let them go trick or treating.

We usually let them dress up in non-devilish costumes and go collect candy. Some years we all stayed home but handed out candy bags together. (Sometimes with a tract.) We were especially zealous a few times when we went somewhere else for the evening so we didn’t have to participate. For the most part, I always just sighed in relief once the day was over and I didn’t have to stress over what was the “right” thing to do.

These days, I don’t really celebrate, per se, but I think I’m a lot more relaxed than when I had younger children. I’ve given up worrying that I might be corrupting their moral character! I still have very mixed feelings about the day, but I try to focus on the fun and not the evil. I keep a few goodies on hand just in case, but we don’t get a lot of children coming to the door anyway. All of my grandchildren enjoy getting dressed up and canvasing their neighbourhoods, and I get it, so I don’t disapprove.

I’ll probably breathe that sigh of relief, though, once the calendar rolls into November!

SPEAKING OF NOVEMBER…

It’s THAT time of year again! For those who know me or have followed my writing for any length of time, you’ll know that November is “National Novel Writing Month” – otherwise affectionately known as “NaNoWriMo”. 

Writers around the world sign in to write 50,000 words during the month of November. (The length of a short novel.) I’ve participated since 2010 and only once did I NOT make the goal. A few of these rough drafts have gone on to be longer, published works. (The Neighbours Series; all the books in the Three Strand Cord Series) Plus, I still have a number of projects that I hope to polish into finished works someday.

This year I have been so preoccupied with my other work and moving that I haven’t planned out my project the way I’d like to. However, I will be clacking away starting tomorrow, with the goal of reaching 50,000 words before the November 30 deadline.

See you on the other side!