The costumes. The darkness. The orange vibes. Tempting. Real tempting. Sometimes I want to give in and just play dress up for one night. I want to let my son wear a cool costume so he doesn’t feel left out. Eat delicious candy that my kid got from strangers. Go to a party where everyone else is decked out in costume. Watch scary movies while eating handfuls of popcorn. I just…want to join in on the fun. 

As an 11-year-old, my face would squish against the window to get a better look at kids roaming the streets as princesses, vampires, witches, and superheroes. I would have to be stealthy though – we were one of many houses that had the outside light off to give the impression that nobody was home. 

What? Honesty is the best policy – especially if you’re a Christian. Right?

Around this time, ever since I knew of what Halloween was, the pull to the dark draws near like a candle – beautiful and bright at first but can burn the closer you get. 

As an adult, I realize that Halloween has a more deep, sinister meaning. The “dressing up your kid is innocent” is the bright part of the candle. The burning part: Their identity is thrown out the window for one night. As years go by, nightmares progress, identity is questioned, and they’re at a crossroads trying to figure out what is real and what isn’t. The bright part: Kids are singing the quaintest of those silly scary tunes. The burning part: They don’t realize that what they are speaking is being put into life…or death. The chants of demons grow louder as they are also in agreement with those silly songs. The bright part: Watching scary movies with friends. The burning part: Infiltration of violent and gruesome images of death bombard the mind to make it numb. Human life isn’t important as long as someone gets a good scare in. The images replay over and over for the next few days…until next time.

The spiritual repercussions outweigh one night of fun.

These are some of the things that keep me from celebrating Halloween. Next time, I’ll go into more detail, but for now – baby steps. If you have time, research the origins of Halloween. But don’t just look at the origins, look at every single ritual that was celebrated. The number one thing that keeps me from celebrating? Light. As a Christian, God has set us apart from what the world deems as “innocent”, popular, traditional, etc. I’ve had my share of dark roads, why would I want to add another? Jesus is good. Jesus is the light. That is all.