What to do with Halloween?

Obviously, this is way late but it was a good discussion Chris and I had around Halloween.  What should we as Christian families do with Halloween?  Both Chris and I have had lots of variations on Halloween, from decorating the house and going all out, to hiding in the house and pretending like it wasn't happening and all in between, including hayrides, church 'harvest parties', and trying Reformation Day instead of Halloween.

The conversation came up after visiting a 'Trunk or Treat' at Chris' Tae-Kwon-Do school with some friends from church who have two small children.  Parents came and decorated their trunks and had the kids trick-or-treat around the parking lot.  It was a fun idea, and some of the trunks were really neat, one was festively Mexican in a Day of the Dead theme  (not as creepy as it sounds, they are honoring their dead ancestors), but several others were disturbingly scary.   Now I know I'm easily scared but I really would not my small children waling around a place like that, if they are anything like me they would have nightmares for weeks!  This is what set our conversation off.

We first tried to justify Halloween as fun for kids because they get to dress up and get candy, but as we reflected on the Trunk or Treat we had to think further about what it meant in the world around us, not just its meaning to Chris and I.  As we looked at it the darker the holiday became.  This holiday, on the whole, glorifies fear, abnormality and perverse imaginations.  I know it sounds like a harsh statement about a day where children dress up as bunnies and cowboys, but look a little closer and you will see where this statement comes from.  The origins of wearing costumes for Halloween came from a Druid tradition of disguising themselves from harmful spirits that had more than usual influence over the physical world.  It is during this time of year that the most horrible and twisted movies of all make their debut, fearful imaginations run wild form these movies and incite fear by twisting the everyday into unrecognizable forms.  Many recognize this as a major holiday for Satanic worshipers and Wiccans.  It has become an excuse for young women all across the nation to dress more provocatively than they would any other day of the year.  While the plea for innocent dress-up and imagination may hold for a little while, what do we dress our children up as they get older?  Many children, and I know I was included, dressed as a witch or 'something scary' at least once.  Should we be playing at something the Bible directly forbids us to do in real life (i.e. witchcraft or divining)?  Don't get me wrong, I loved dressing up as a child and still like costumes, but I think we need a better outlet for this than Halloween.

So after much discussion Chris and I decided that Halloween as it is known won't be celebrated in our house.  We might celebrate Reformation day (directly following Halloween when all the candy is on sale!  Reformers liked candy too, right?), and we will definitely dress up, maybe even officially at a re-enactment, but we won't be joining the world in this particular tradition.  We don't make this decision lightly, and we don't condemn those who chose a different path, but we feel it would be inconsistent with everything else we hope to teach our children to just go along with a tradition we have questions and serious concerns about.... but I know I will still feel the urge to dress up our little children, so please don't look at me too funny if you come over and a little one is dressed up as a duck, dragon or banana!  Well, that's one holiday down, now if only what to do about Santa sounded as clear!