I think my perspective on this largely comes from my nationality. In the U.S., stores are decked out with Halloween gear months in advance. Kids talk about what outfit they are going to wear in August. I feel depressed when I am on overnights and can’t dress up. I just don’t think you’ve seen ‘cute’ until you’ve seen a baby as a pumpkin.

I know the same is not true in say, South Africa, where costumes and intent are mostly dark. Halloween didn’t originate there and there are few, if any, decorations in the stores. I am not saying stores should dictate what we celebrate, but I think stores reflect what a culture embraces. If you don’t know it to be a happy holiday then I get that it will be hard to celebrate, but I don’t think that those who do are wrong or bad. I enjoy the lights for sale during Ramadan in the Middle East and will fast with my brothers and sisters, but I am not a Muslim. I can take part and still be a whole.

Call me a heathen, but I plan to dress up my kids one day. My parents dressed me up since I was born. Even my youth group at church would have Halloween parties. I think dressing up as Jesus would be crossing the line but that’s a topic for another blog. I’ve heard it said that Christians shouldn’t just celebrate Halloween, they should be the life of the party!

Someone sent me this video to prove to me that Halloween is a wicked thing. Instead, it convinced me of why it is not. I love the traditional elements of Halloween (bobbing for apples) and that generations have kept these practices alive. Bobbing for apples does not equate to bobbing for evil. There’s so much history and I don’t think it’s all ‘bad’.

I also know that I cannot worship something on accident. I am a child of God and I worship Him alone. Dressing up does not negate this. I can be a Christian and a fan of Halloween. For nearly three decades I have celebrated this holiday and I know for a fact that I have never worshiped the devil.

I see it as a bit of a ‘weaker brother’ situation. In the same way I can go to a temple and eat food sacrificed to idols, I am free to celebrate different holidays. If you are not, that is ok and I respect that.

When I was in India for a wedding, I went to a temple with some friends. A little girl offered us a banana she had sacrificed to a god. One Christian friend took it and ate it in good conscience while the other couldn’t. Both were right. God is not black and white.

Romans 14:1-2, 5 - Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.

If we are going to say Halloween is bad, then we have to say the same of Christmas and Easter. Both are originally pagan holidays 'reclaimed' by the church. If you don’t celebrate any of those holidays because of their pagan roots then I appreciate your consistency.

My two cents.

Halloween is just such a community event and a great time to get to know more about your neighbors. You literally wander the streets and open your door to strangers: when else does that happen? I have always enjoyed gathering with new and old friends while the kids count and sort their candy on the floor.

So if you are dressing up tonight or hiding out in your home with your porch lights off, do yourself a favor and eat some candy. Surely there’s no harm in that.