Trick-or-Treat

"Trick or Treat" is the greeting the children in costumes say when they knock on doors to ask for treats- usually candies, on Halloween. They are supposed to play tricks on those who refuse to give them treats. We didn't allow our daughter to participate in it on the night of October 31. Paul and I made our stance against Halloween. We have decided not to celebrate it.

Roughly two weeks before Halloween this year, we were invited by friends from church to a Halloween party at their house. We never expected them to hold a Halloween party and so we asked them questions what they do at the party. They told us it isn't really a Halloween party but a party on Halloween. They seemed to be offended that we questioned their party. We explained to them that we wanted to make sure what kind of a party it would be being that we don't celebrate Halloween. They assured us that it would be nothing Halloweeny. But when we got to their house, it was a Halloween party in absence of ghoulish costumes. They were handing out candies to trick-or-treaters saying, "Happy Halloween!" The kids were dressed up in their own favorite fiction charaters and also went out trick-or-treating. They came home carrying their own pillow cases that were full of candies. My two-year-old daughter thought it's a night to feast on candies!

Here are the major reasons why we don't celebrate Halloween...

1. Its pagan and evil roots!
2. Trick-or-Treating sends a message that to be greedy (asking for more candies until their sacks overflow with them) is okay. And that it's okay for kids to act like spoiled brats that when they are not given what they want they could threaten us by playing tricks. Oh, man!
3. Candies are not good for our daughter's health. Sugar is cancer's food!
4. We don't need to have fun when the world is having fun.
5. We can't stand sugar-coating a pagan holiday by dressing up as angels.

I want my daughter to learn that to be obedient to Christ sometimes means being different from our neighbors and the world—and that's a good lesson to learn.