What to do about Halloween

This year, Halloween falls on a Friday. There will be no programming happening at the church that evening, as historically it is very poorly attended and many of our volunteers are busy with their kids or would prefer to stay home.

Many Christians choose to celebrate Halloween while many others do not. Isn't it great that we have freedom in Christ to decide either way? Below are some suggestions for what to do with your family and friends, regardless of which camp you're in.

For those who don't celebrate Halloween:

• Go for dinner as a family. Bonus points if your kids each get to bring one friend. You could even invite other families to join you - what a great way to get to know neighbours, or your kids friends... or even their parents!
• Stay home and watch home videos. This is a great one if you want to spend some time as a family laughing about cute things the kids did when they were small, or silly outfits parents wore in the 80s and 90s!
• Have your kids invite friends over for a sleepover. My parents always made an effort to have our friends over and get to know them, and it was a really big deal for me growing up. I knew that they cared about my social life and about my friends too. My mom still has tea with some of my girlfriends because of the relationships she built with them when we were in high school!
• Serve your community - go feed the homeless, hand out blankets, or find other charities that you can donate your time to.
• See a movie! The theatre will be pretty empty, and seeing a family movie together can lead to great conversations after.
• Bake something! Now's the time to make pumpkin everything! Why not try a new cookie recipe and show your kids how to make (and eat) them?

For those who do celebrate Halloween:

• Host a party for your kids and their friends, focusing on lighthearted games and food instead of sinister themes. Like I said above, getting to know your kids' friends is a big deal - it shows them you care and you'll actually know a bit about the people your kids hang out with.
• Reverse trick or treat! One time, some of my youth girls showed up at my house... with a door. When I opened the door, there was another door there that say "please knock." When I knocked, they opened the door dressed as old ladies and gave ME candy! It was so cute, and a fun way to bless your neighbours.
• Invite some families over to carve pumpkins and watch a family-friendly movie together when trick or treating is done.
• Host a neighbourhood party! Halloween can be a great time to get to know your neighbours... they need Jesus too! Start building friendships now and who knows what will happen down the road! Enlist your kids to help you make cookies and popcorn, get a fireworks license, and invite the neighbours over for some kid-friendly fun. I loved it when our neighbours did this - it was so generous of them!