Do We Hallow Halloween?

The question’s been mulled over like cider in parenting circles. How do we approach the Halloween holiday with our kids? Many parents view Halloween as light-hearted, impish fun, harking back to their own childhood trick-or-treating as ninja turtles (and wishing they’d saved their costumes for the cartoon comeback). Others are off-put by the fear induced by the devilish haunts lurking around every cobwebbed corner, sending terror-tossed kids into their parents’ beds with nightmares. While some embrace the holiday, it leaves many parents feeling unsettled. Is Halloween really harmless fun?

Parents of faith are often particularly conflicted about the holiday, and so, too, are churches. Among the smorgasbord of faith communities in which I was raised, some partook in Halloween with trunk or treats and pumpkin patched parking lots. Others eschewed it for the preferred “fall festival” or liturgical feast of “All Saints,” and a few saw it as something more sinister, avoiding it altogether.

As for our house of haunts, Halloween is an enchanted night of fire pits blazing like cauldrons in the cul-de-sac, jack-o’-lanterns winking their winsome welcomes at parades of passersby and more candies than even the gingerbread witch could stomach. But there is no one-size-fits-all approach to how and whether families of faith celebrate Halloween, and I won’t venture to offer one here. Instead, KC Parent Magazine asked you, local readers, to chime in on its Facebook page: How do you feel about celebrating Halloween with your kids? Here’s what you shared:

My children really get freaked out going into stores filled with scary skeletons and spooky witches during the Halloween season. Much of what Halloween embraces seems dark and evil to our family, and that's why we really don't see a point to taking part in the holiday. ~ Anna G., Lee's Summit

I see both sides to celebrating Halloween. We chose to celebrate in our home, but focus more the commercial holiday it has become, dressing in costumes and trick-or-treating, and less on its origins. ~ Melanie S., Lenexa

As Christians we are called to be a light in a world of darkness (Mt. 5:14). When we studied the origins of Halloween, there is much evil and darkness in its history. We opt to enjoy fun in the month of October with family activities centered around pumpkins, apples and hayrides without witches, ghosts and goblins. ~ Tina L., Kansas City

Wendy Connelly, mother of two, is co-founder of the “Live and Let Think” dialogues on Christianity, and a graduate student at St. Paul School of Theology, Leawood.