Believe me when I say this, I haven't always been fine with celebrating Halloween. I grew up having a lot of fun with Halloween - though I admit I was a bit scared by evil I didn't understand. We would always have the loud scary sounds CD going and have the doorway decorated for when kids would come to the door. My mom would take me out no matter what I was dressed like. Some years it was a football player, or a knife wound victim, a dead football player, and I think once I was Batman. When I got older, Behn (my long time best friend) and I would go Trick-or-Treating until we got too old and other parents started giving us the evil eye.
In my college years when I converted from Catholicism to Protestantism I could have been described as a bit Fundamental. Halloween is a very real holiday for Pagan celebrations both today and in times past. I was very strict and literal about what I thought the Bible said about having to do with evil. Regarding Halloween-it was out because I couldn't have affection for anything evil or do anything that could be seen as evil. Somewhere there was a turning point in my thinking. Many conversations with my wife and with close friends made me think about the other creative outlets of Halloween. It made me begin to think about the other attributes of the 'holiday' and/or lack thereof. But, having such a creative wife who loves dressing up like a hippie or a cat always makes the day very fun, creative, and certainly not evil. Above you'll see me dressed as a cow at Trader Joe's last year standing next to a pumpkin with a Trader Joe's logo- my costume was a reused costume from the summer when we attended "Dress Like a Cow and Receive a Free Sandwich" (Sponsored by Chick-Fil-A).
I can't say I have found complete resolution for all of my thoughts regarding Halloween activities and the possible presence of evil. But I have come to enough of a resolution that I can dress up like a pilgrim or as Moses when the situation allows. Though my study of Halloween is far from complete, as a family we are comfortable putting a wholesome and creative spin on the day. For Owen, we have a cute little outfit for him that we can't wait to show you.
So I guess, you ought to stay tuned!
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