Should Christian families celebrate Halloween?
This is a hotly debated question in many Christian circles, and in this post, I’m going to give you great arguments for and against it to help you decide for yourselves and your family.
We are a Christian family, and we try to live our lives in a way that glorifies God. Halloween, with its emphasis on darkness and evil spirits, is not something that we feel we should celebrate. We have chosen not to participate in any activities that involve the typical Halloween “stuff” – ghosts, witches, zombies, and the like.
But what about Halloween-alternatives? How should we, as a Christian family, approach these activities? Is it just harmless fun? Should we participate and “redeem” the demonic elements of the day? Or should we abstain from all activities that are even remotely associated with the holiday?
To be honest, I’m on the fence. I see both sides. I grew up attending a Halloween-alternative event at my church and loved it. I just wanted to dress up, play games, and get candy. I was never confused about why we were allowed to go to the event when we disapproved of the symbols of Halloween.
On the other hand, I take my job as my kids’ spiritual mentor and guide very seriously. And I would never want to do anything that steered them the wrong way. I don’t want to participate in anything that’s going to invite darkness into our home. So I’m just not sure.
To help us, and you, make this important decision, I thought I would compile a round-up of articles on both sides of the issue. I hope they provide you with points to ponder as you make the best decision for your family.
Yes to Halloween
7 Reasons Why a Christian Can Celebrate Halloween | Alan Rudnick
3 Reasons Christians MUST Celebrate Halloween | Redeeming God
Why Christians Can Celebrate Halloween | Relevant Magazine
No to Halloween
Being the Light on a Dark Holiday | Parenting With Humility
Engaging But Not Encouraging Halloween | Courageous Mom
Why We Don’t Celebrate Halloween | ANAWINS
Christians and Halloween: Should We Observe It? | The Modest Mom Blog
No to Halloween, Yes to Halloween Alternatives
Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? The Apostle Paul Has a Surprising Answer | Intentional by Grace
Redeeming Halloween: How Should Christians Approach Halloween? | Intoxicated on Life
The Boy and Halloween | Life in Lape Haven
Ideas for Halloween Alternative Activities
10 Christian Alternatives to Halloween
Why We Love to Participate on Halloween As Christians
Lessons and Activities for a Christian Halloween
What are your thoughts and convictions on the subject? Should Christian families participate in any kind of Halloween activities? Share in the comments below. I’m open to any and all opinions, as long as they’re respectful! 🙂
Recommended Reading
- Why You Should Write a Family Covenant
- How I’m Teaching My Kids About a Christ-Centered Easter
- How to Keep Christ in Your Family’s Christmas
- 31 Scriptures to Pray Over Your Children
- A Prayer for Every Mom
My son is 2 (almost). He dressed up last year and he’ll dress up this year, but he’s not getting any candy. I think a couple of my friends will come over and we’ll go get $3 burritos at Chipotle and we might hang out with some neighbors. I’m not big on ‘celebrating’ Halloween for the same reasons you have, but I don’t have a problem with him dressing up just for fun. It’s up to us to determine what we feel is safe for our families. I know he’ll ask questions when he gets older and I’ll do my best to explain. I’m a single mom, by the way.
Thanks for weighing in Carmen! You’re absolutely right – it is up to us to determine what’s best for our families. Your plans sound fun. Hope you had a great night!
How do you feel about the Christian origins of Halloween, including All Saint’s Day, All Soul’s Day, and the original name of Halloween, All Hallows’ Eve?
To be honest, I don’t know that much about them because that is rarely how Halloween is celebrated these days. I do know a few people who celebrate October 31 as Reformation Day, but until I started researching for this post, I had never known anyone who celebrated All Saint’s Day.
When I was younger I would completely disagree with you but now that I’m in my later 20s I can see where you are coming from. Your beliefs regardless of the explanation is your families own personal decision and I wish more people accepted that without any selfish tendencies involved. I am not Christian per say but I am spiritual. I did go to a Christian boarding school when I was younger and instead of dressing up we would go to a night church service and talk about the day Jesus was resurrected! It’s one of my favorite stories from the Bible to this day. I do celebrate Halloween now only because I love to play dress up any time I can. Being a stay at home mom, most of the time I’m in my Jammies so I take advantage of doing something different. My daughter is 9 months and instead of a costume we just bought her a onesie we knew she can wear any other day and a tutu because we are going with her younger cousins. We live in a military community and the on post schools are really nice because they don’t allow costume day at schools because they don’t want to condone religious discrimination but they do have whacky socks and sunglasses day on Halloween! Our community also hands out toys to kids who can’t have candy or for little ones who aren’t old enough!
Thanks for sharing Marie! I like hearing what other families/communities do!