I have a confession to make. I am a Christian who loves Halloween. Okay, maybe love is too strong a word but I thoroughly enjoy it. I admit this because recently a friend commented that she did not like Halloween. She, too, is a Christian and feels that by “celebrating” Halloween, it sends the wrong message to the impressionable and places too much emphasis on the dark side. And she’s not the only Christian who feels that way. This last part I say simply based on the number of churches that now offer an alternative to Halloween.

Well, to each his own I say.

When you have survived a face-to-face encounter with a dark spirit as I have, when you have seen God’s power effortlessly destroy a demonic spirit as I have then the perceived threat or power behind Halloween disappears. Gone is the focus on the occult and dark forces. Instead, the focus turns to fun and enjoyment.

Yep, to me, Halloween is fun. I love riding through certain neighborhoods and viewing the elaborate displays. See the photos below.

I enjoy buying and eating Snickers, Milky Ways, M&Ms, Skittles and the like. (Unfortunately in our neighborhood we do not have trick-or-treaters. There’s just not enough young families. But does that stop me from buying candy and hoping that one year someone will ring our doorbell? Nope!) I really like (when I have time) to drive around Halloween evening, scoping out and rating costumes. The creativity of some of the parents and children is amazing. And then there’s the children’s excitement! They be-bop up and down sidewalks, proudly displaying their costumes, eagerly ringing doorbells and yelling those magical words that produce more candy than any dentist would ever allow. And let’s not forget the homeowners. The tricks they sometimes play on the trick-or-treaters, the smiles on their faces as they give–priceless. And finally, don’t we all enjoy watching Charlie Brown and Linus in the pumpkin patch?

Yeah, okay, so I change my mind. I do love Halloween! One of these years, I am going to have an adult Halloween party and see if we “grown folks” can re-capture some of the innocence and excitement of an adolescent Halloween. We’ll bob for apples, collect for Unicef, pin the tail on the donkey, dance, fish for candy, eat hot dogs, popcorn balls and marshmallow treats, carve pumpkins. What fun that will be. Oh, and yes, costumes will be required!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!