Skip the Fright; Light the Night!
- forsinglemoms
- Oct 2
- 3 min read
by Sheila South
A The Kids & Me Contributor
Part I “Enough of Feeding the Monster Under the Bed (Fear)” of this duo-post can be found here: https://www.thekidsandme.org/post/enough-of-feeding-the-monster-under-the-bed-fear
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We’ve thought about the implications of Halloween and decided we don’t want to blindly follow those who subject children to ‘fright for fun’ and risk exposing our kids to dark forces which could manifest as hopelessness or despair and lead them towards death.
Now what?
We don’t want our children to be ignorant of culture; they are going to see Halloween all over the neighborhood and in every store they enter anyway.
We do need to teach our children ABOUT Halloween without teaching them to CELEBRATE Halloween. A brief history of Halloween and its religious origins suitable for teaching elementary kids and older is detailed in Part I of this duo-post mentioned above.
But what if our kids have already participated in Halloween in the past?
This is a GREAT TEACHING MOMENT. As Maya Angelou said,
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
Show the kiddos that Moms can learn, too. Teach them the new stance. Enlist them to help in the new practices.
Adjust the Focus: Season of Thankfulness
Our focus should always be God-oriented and this season is no different. The month of October falls in the season of autumn when the splendor of God’s creation is adorned with jeweled leaves, and orange and yellow-colored pumpkins and gourds. There are multitudes of ways to decorate our homes using what God has provided or friendly nostalgic pieces like scarecrows and hay bales. We simply choose joyful or autumn-themed decorations instead of skulls, demons, or haunted themes. And let’s be sure to tell our kids why:
Revelation 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Great ideas for family friendly decorating listed here: https://www.prudentpennypincher.com/50-cheap-easy-diy-outdoor-fall-decorations/?crlt.pid=camp.jiq2fCScbNRi
Additional Perk: These decorative efforts will transition seamlessly into the Thanksgiving season. ;)
Redeem the 'Ween
Oct 31 arrives. We’ve prepared our own children for the night by talking about good versus evil, life versus death, angels versus demons, and God versus Satan (as age appropriate). We’ve given other opportunities for dress-up play and eating sweets and candy treats throughout the year. We have plans for the evening which may be just to eat our favorite meal and have a yummy dessert.
Now what to do about everybody else’s kids?
We could absolutely ignore Halloween: not go trick-or-treating, not hand out candy, not wear costumes, not deck the house with demons, not go to Halloween-themed parties, nor watch horror movies. We absolutely could.
But what if we want to engage our neighbors in a God-honoring way? Halloween could be the only time of year some neighbors come to our door. Should we use it as an opportunity to build relationships and show hospitality?
Well first, rather than scary death-focused decor, we would need to do something drastically different...
How about literally lighting up the night with white string lights and luminaries?
"Jesus is the light of the world."
"What-so-ever things are true, noble, pure, just, lovely, or good report, excellent, praise-worthy…think on these things."
We could give out mini-flashlights rather than candy to help trick-or-treaters be visible, step carefully, and stay safe Oct 31.
Contact singlemomsandkids@gmail.com for free pdf of the "God is Light" booklet.
We could give out tracts or encouraging Bible verse notes with candy.
FREE Printable Halloween Tracts to share the gospel and the message of light: https://www.flandersfamily.info/web/2017/10/21/no-fear-free-printable-halloween-tracts/
[Professional tracts sold at Christian Book Distributors and Memory Cross.]
We could play God-centered music outside our home Oct 31 to encourage a festive vibe celebrating LIGHT rather than death.
Here's a sample playlist
including these songs about light:
DC “Talk In the Light”
Ellie Holcomb – “Marvelous Light”
Odetta “This Little Light of Mine”
We the Kingdom – “Light of the World”
Hillsong – "Let There be Light”
Charlie Hall - “Marvelous Light”
How will we address Halloween this year? Do we need to make changes? How can we be the light in this dark world? Share your thoughts and pictures. :)
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
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