We're not into Halloween much around here, except for the candy part, and Kris decided long ago not to dress the house or our kids up in ghost or witch outfits (or these). So, we have Fall decorations and some pumpkins and gourds and a dressed-up Teddy Bear. We used to enjoy going to the local grade school to watch the annual march of costumes, and couldn't wait to see what the Dunlop kids had created for the year. One year Robbie was about 7 feet tall as a rocket of some kind.
Oh, and what were some of your favorite Halloween treats that were given out? Kris reminds me every year that she used to go to a house that gave out HOT DOGS!!!
What do you do?
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My 2 Cents #30,
In our home we have a wall with 7 or 8 framed icons of Saints. So, I was explaining to my 6 year old about All Saints Day, and he asked me if we could decorate the wall with streamers. :-)
A few weeks ago, I was joking around with him, "Who is the best Mommy? Who is the prettiest Mommy?" and he just shook his head, "Not you...it's Mary, Jesus' Mommy. You can be second."
Maybe he read Scot's book when I wasnt looking ;-)
In the past we've got to the church harvest party.
But this year we decided to stay home, let our kids dress up and then we spent an hour trick or treating everyone on our street. My wife and I slowly followed the kids pushing the stroller with the youngest in it.
We sipped cider and handed out candy to the kids that rang the bell.
I'm super glad we did! I kept thinking to myself "How many oppotunities do I get to smile at, say hi to, or chat with nearly everyone on our street!"
I don't think we'll be going to the church party anymore.
We ended the evening with a story about a saint and the collect for all saints day from the BCP.
"Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen."
Here at Journey Fellowship, we had glowsticks with 1 John 1:5 printed on them and gave them to everyone in the church to handout in lieu of candy. It doesn't cause cavities, it helps keep kids safe in the dark, and it tells our community a little bit about us and Jesus?
www.journeyfellowship.info
As for All Saints Day (#22), my husband will go to Mass and I will probably go with him. I think it's a wonderful commemoration of the people throughout history who have honored the church with their lives and often their deaths.
I honored All Hollows Eve (The Day of the Dead in many Catholic cultures)on my blog with remembrances of our newborn son who died.
As for Holloween, we didn't do it when my older kids were young. We were definitely into the "Christians don't do Holloween" mindset. We've come a long way, baby. Now someone stays home and hands out candy while the rest of the crew goes to church for the Light Night Celebration. The younger kids have a carnival with LOTS of candy and the teens are volunteers and run the event (and get LOTS of candy). It's a blast.
Our turning point was when my young daughter, while peering out of our darkened house at the kids in costumes, asked me wistfully, "Tell me again why we don't do Holloween, Mommy." All of the sudden I couldn't think of a good reason, so I whisked her up, put her in some dress-up clothes, and took her to friends' houses in the neighborhood. She kept twirling around in her raher bedraggled, thrown-together costume saying, "I look beautiful!" Her absolute happiness made me cry at my own stupidity.
Like others I enjoyed H'n as a child, most years trick or treating, a few years with neighborhood harvest parties and bobbing for apples. As adult converts my wife and I reacted negatively to the holiday's reputation as a night for evil and celebrating death, fear, etc. I have enjoyed watching my children finally able to celebrate H'n with their own children and have started to question my views on it. Many of the contributions to this blog have helped me to broaden my ideas about it already. Thank you.
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