Happy Halloween or Harvest or Pumpkin Day (whatever you want to call it)!

Yesterday I shared some Thanksgiving tips out of the book Homespun Memories for the Heart.  Today I thought I'd give some tips for celebrating fall (or Halloween).  Since Halloween actually falls on Sunday (although most festivals and trick-or-treating will be done Saturday night) there are some great suggestions to celebrate that are church friendly.  Even if you don't believe in celebrating Halloween you can celebrate the Harvest.
Let's begin with celebrating Halloween.  We dress our kids up and go to festivals and they go trick-or-treating.  We don't get involved in the 'spooky' or 'satan-ish' aspects of Halloween.  Our kids just have fun with other kids.  One great idea is to have a Halloween party for your children and thier friends.  Zach went to one this weekend where they played games, had fun food, and just played like kids.  What fun!  If you didn't want to make it about Halloween, have it after or a few weeks before and call it a Harvest Party.  Have a bonfire (roast hot dogs and smores), hayride, games, and anything else you can think of.
Another idea is if you live in a neighborhood get together with some other families and make it a group outting.  Dress the kids up and go door to door.  Maybe even have a party before or after with cool Halloween themed treats!  Call it a Pumpkin Party!  We are planning to take our boys with my neices and go around my parents neighborhood on the golf carts (maybe even dress up the golf cart).  All fun things to make memories with the kiddos that doesn't involve scary things.
Ok so for the Sunday night part of the Halloween deal....some people think that churches don't even need to be involved with any aspect of the "devil's holiday" and that's OK.  Some churches use the day as a time to reach out to unchurched kids or to provide somewhere for their own kids to go that is not going to get them in trouble.  They have fun festivals, trunk-or-treat, or 'judgement' houses.  One idea in the Homespun book is to have a Hallelujah night...oh how I wish I'd thought of this earlier!!  Have the kids dress up in their favorite bible character, animal, or theme (family) and hold a fall festival.  You could have a pumpkin carving contest where the carving has to be based on an aspect from the bible.  What a great time of fellowship that doesn't involve "Halloween"!
Whatever you decide to do this weekend with your kids for Halloween (celebrate it or ignore it) go out and make some memories together!  Show your children that they can be the Light in an evil world!  Show them that Christians can have fun and praise Jesus all at the same time :-)

'The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.'  John 1:5