When I was a teenager, my family attended a church that believed Halloween was a devil’s holiday, and to celebrate in any way was to invite the devil into your life. To counteract the community’s activities around the holiday (i.e. Trick or Treating), that church offered an alternative on Halloween. It was a fun fall festival, with games and lots of candy, and the kids dressed up in “nice” costumes (ex: angels) instead of goblins and witches.

When my kids were little, I struggled with the idea of Halloween. Those early teen lessons weighed heavily on my mind. I certainly didn’t want to expose my children to unchristian practices or evil behavior. But I confess – society’s practices won out. My kids went Trick-or-Treating.

Today, I confess that I’m still struggling. I don’t think that dressing up in costume and going door-to-door (under parental supervision) is inviting evil. And yet, the lessons of my early teen years are hard to shake off. Is the practice of Halloween a God-honoring activity? Is it something we should encourage in our children and grandchildren?

I’d love to hear your opinions, friends. As Christians, should we or shouldn’t we celebate Halloween?