Saturday, October 31, 2015

No pumpkin on my porch

So here we are again, October 31.  If you know me in person, you know that this is just another day to me.  

It’s not that I hate costumes.  Yes, my kids dress up, any day they want.  And I’m a seamstress by trade and a very resourceful person, so I can make some truly awesome costumes.  Just not for this day.

I love bats.  And spiders (from a distance, and not in the house).  And cats.  I tend toward “goth” and find beauty in dark places, all year.  But not for this day.

Yes, we eat candy, though we have to be kinda picky about what kind.  We may eat some today.  But not because we pilfered it from our neighbors.

So what is my problem with Halloween?  You didn’t ask, but in case you were wondering, I’ll tell you:  It’s not far enough from its origins.  Yes, most holidays started as pagan celebrations.  Some have been “redeemed” - made into something else.  Easter is an easy one - a celebration of new life in spring became a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, and the new life we find in Him.  Valentine’s Day - God is love, so that’s a given.  Christmas is a little farther fetched; it’s not even close to the day Jesus was actually born.  But since we don’t really know the date, we oughta celebrate it sometime.  

But no matter how I try, I cannot figure a way to equate the ideals and practices of Halloween with anything in the Bible or Christian tradition (worthy of celebration, anyway).  Believe me, I’ve tried.  I would LOVE to dress me and my family as anything we want and go places and have fun.  I would even settle for avoiding the awkwardness of turning down invitations to “halloween lite”, aka fall festivals.  Or teach my children to stand for what they believe when the other side isn’t dressed up and offering them candy.

I respect the people who see it as “the day the mission field comes to your doorstep”.  But I’m sorry, I’m just not there yet.

I’m not saying I’m some kind of super-saint and have superior knowledge on the matter.  Can you celebrate halloween and love Jesus?  That’s between you and Him.  For me, since I am not sure enough, I would rather err on the side of not offending HIm.