Found this online:
"The name "Halloween" comes from the All Saints Day celebration of the early Christian church, a day set aside for the solemn remembrance of the martyrs. All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Saints Day, began the time of remembrance. "All Hallows Eve" was eventually contracted to "Hallow-e'en," which became "Halloween." As Christianity moved through Europe it collided with indigenous pagan cultures and confronted established customs. Pagan holidays and festivals were so entrenched that new converts found them to be a stumbling block to their faith. To deal with the problem, the organized church would commonly move a distinctively Christian holiday to a spot on the calendar that would directly challenge a pagan holiday. The intent was to counter pagan influences and provide a Christian alternative. But most often the church only succeeded in "Christianizing" a pagan ritual--the ritual was still pagan, but mixed with Christian symbolism. That's what happened to All Saints Eve--it was the original Halloween alternative!"
I grew up in a Christian home, an authentic and real Christian home where we were always taught to live out scripture. The way my parents acted in front of others was the way they acted in front of us. I was not taught how to live a hypocritical lifestyle.
We also thoroughly enjoyed Halloween. We dressed up every year, we decorated the house, we carved pumpkins, we made cookies and cupcakes, we watched 'Hocus Pocus' and 'The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' and ' Casper, the friendly ghost'. We went trick or treating, put up fake headstones in the front yard with scary music playing for the occasion. We had a TON of fun.
It wasn't until I moved to the bible belt that I saw an intense fear and distaste about Halloween among Christians.
I understand that elements of Halloween are not longer safe like they use to be. I'm sad that due to the state of our world, the traditional fun of trick-or-treating is no longer a safe activity. Kids can't go door to door without worrying about being poisoned or abducted...I'm sure it's still going strong in the community I grew up in, but few places are as safe and innocent as Green's Harbour, Newfoundland anymore.
My point is this: Regardless of why Halloween came to be, as a fun-loving, Christian family, we used it as a time to be silly and have a great time together. Halloween didn't represent Satan or the occult, it represented family time, silly costumes, imaginative (pretend) ghost stories and community togetherness.
I recently was involved with a conversation with a Christian mother who said she sat down with her children (not much older than my own) and explained to them the Pagan and Satanic origins of Halloween and why Christians shouldn't have anything to do with it. She read them a book called, "Why we don't celebrate Halloween" and this year they are giving out book marks instead of candy with poems about how evil this day is.
Talk about asking babies to deal with adult issues!
My view is this. If we are firm in our faith and instill the love and direction of Christ in our kids lives every single day of the year, why should we be afraid of October 31st? Why not take what we know to be true, that Jesus has already won and Satan has no power over us, and laugh in his face by taking Halloween and filling it with good, clean fun and family togetherness? Why not teach our kids that with God's light in their hearts, Satan is powerless over them and we don't have to be afraid of him?....and the truth is, if we look back over history, Halloween has about as much to do with early Christianity as it does paganism, so why not focus on that? Why not join in with everyone else but set ourselves apart by choosing not to wear revealing, tasteless costumes...by choosing not to use the night as an excuse to drink & drive and cause trouble...why not be a light in the midst of darkness instead of removing ourselves all together?
"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...hide it under a bush, OH NO! I'm gonna let it shine."
It's the same debate as whether Christians parents should take part in the Santa thing or not. I've heard Christian parents say, "Kids will mix up Santa with Jesus and when they learn Santa's not real, they'll think Jesus isn't real either."
WHAT!?
If I make Santa as much a part of my child's daily life as Jesus, then that's a problem with me, not Jolly Old St. Nick.
But that's another blog for another holiday...
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