Evolving Feelings Concerning the Celebration of Halloween

Ghosts, skeletons, ghouls and fairies: how many people will dress up or decorate their houses to celebrate the things that frighten us on Halloween this year? Is this custom demonic? Satan worship? What is a sensitive Christian to do?

There are hundreds of articles on Associated Content about the history of the celebration of Halloween; to be exact, 928 articles used those two words when I searched AC today. When people write about the topic it seems to stir deep emotions in readers. Many of the articles have attracted comments from the outliers in both camps- those who do use it for pagan worship, and conversely those who believe its pagan origins present serious problems for Christians who take their faith seriously. Most folks are in the middle of the road and think of it just as a holiday on which to have fun

My own personal Halloween history began with school costume parties where there were very few purchased costumes. No one could afford them! My kindergarten Halloween party pictures feature me dressed as a wizard, P.G. was a mummy in scraps of an old sheet, Clara was a witch. She was one of the lucky ones, with a molded plastic mask from the dime store. Clara and I, the witch and the wizard, were also in the same Sunday School. At the age of five you aren't really thinking too deeply about conflicts of interest. There's a fairly elaborate clown, a pirate- you can tell from the mask, but the rest of the outfit was an ordinary puff-sleeve dress. A sash, simple half-mask, or one of dad's cast-off shirts were the costumes most kids could afford.

In junior high school I went on my share of small town "tricking" raids... but there were bounds to our mischief. Soap was ok, wax was considered out of line... too hard to remove. Ditto the eggs. I still have a scar on my forehead from some tin can thrown with malice, or not, in the dark by an invisible goblin. Probably one of the boys.

As a parent I dressed my kids for the school parties. One year the little guy was a skunk, and his brother was a very thin and wiry Superman. Another year we had Batman and a policeman. Lots of fun with candy, pumpkins, apples, controlled trick-or-treating hours and lighted porches. It was all much safer than when I was a child.

For over ten years I was the designer and builder of an elaborately frightening "haunted" house (only for people over 12 years old) called "Scream in the Dark," sponsored by a Christian organization. We used the popularity of Halloween to provide an opportunity to talk briefly to those who attended about what we can learn from fear. There are some things we should be afraid of, but God's perfect love casts out fear. It was fun and it was meaningful at the same time.

But would I do it all over again? I'm no longer sure. Perhaps if a scary funhouse could again provide a venue for presenting the antithesis of fear- the security of a relationship with God- I would consider it.

Meanwhile, the kids have grown up, the trick-or-treaters don't come to my out-in-the-country door, and I can make choices about what to do with this holiday. Others choose to embrace it wholeheartedly. The St. Petersburg Times reported that in 2005, 47% of Americans decorated their porch or lawn for Halloween, and 95% bought candy. The average consumer is projected to spend $64.82 on Halloween this year. ¹ Me? just call me the Scrooge of the Pumpkin Patch; I haven't even bought candy.

The more lighted skulls I see dancing across a porch railing, the bigger the inflatable gargoyle in the yard, the greener the fake spider webs, or the redder the fake blood and stab wounds, the more I feel like retreating to a different position. I'm beginning to wonder if we've crossed a line from fun and entered the realm of glorifying the macabre.

A big piece of me wants to push back and give a cheer instead for November 1, All Saints Day. Maybe instead of buying a glow-in-the-dark skeleton I'll send a check to St. Jude's Hospital, that Saint of hopeless causes. I wonder if Mother Theresa found time to buy candy, or if she was busy binding up a leprous hand. Perhaps I should spend some time praying and practicing St. Francis prayer: "where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon."

Christians believe in the sainthood of all believers, so instead of seeking to create a clever lawn display perhaps I should meditate on the spiritual strength of saint Eileen, a friend whose life I would do well to emulate. Some minutes spent praying over the pictures of the many children, in orphanages around the world, who were sponsored by saint Catherine (my mother) would not be amiss. Instead of lighting jack-o-lanterns, maybe I could light up a life by writing short notes to those saints who have encouraged me this year.

Is Halloween evil? Apparently the kids aren't searching for the gruesome. In 2004 Spiderman and Princess costumes outsold witches and vampires. Angels, superheroes, athletes, ninjas and Barbie were right up there with the ghosts and monsters. Oh yes, and Sponge Bob Square Pants! ²

Yet, I keep remembering the words of Saint Paul, "Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about."

I wonder which holiday I'll celebrate this year.

1. St. Petersburg Times

2. National Retail Federation