Further, if my preschoolers get any more of those little trick or treat booklets that tell them they are going to hell this year, I may sneak back out with some eggs after I put them to bed. How is giving little children nightmares acceptable to some people?

Our children trick or treated but not in the usual sense of going door to door through the neighborhood. We had several nursing homes and assisted living centers in the area that would give candy out. That way, the kids got candy but they also had to interact with the residents who were so glad to see the kids.

a playing card (two sheets of poster board + red Sharpie = ace of hearts!)

Playing cards are of the devil too!!

See if your kids want to participate, first of all. Maybe they want to dress up, maybe they just want to hand out candy, or maybe they don’t want to do anything at all.

If they do want to participate (and you do too), explain that lots of holidays mean lots of different things to different people. For example, Christmas is important to Christians because we celebrate the birth of Jesus. But other people just see it as a time to get together with family, and that’s how they choose to celebrate.

Explain that most people see Halloween as a time to dress up in silly costumes, visit with neighbors, and maybe get some candy – and that’s how you’ll see it in your family. Explain that it’s just a celebration of fun with friends for you, and that you want them to wear costumes that represent fun things, not scary or evil things.

That’s how my parents approached it when I went to a very fundy-leaning school as a child. Our teachers told us that Halloween was OF THE DEVIL, but my parents took a much more lighthearted approach. My costumes in my childhood were a princess, a playing card (two sheets of poster board + red Sharpie = ace of hearts!), and a box of popcorn (painted a box with red and white stripes, wore the box, and stapled clear bags of popped popcorn to the top). I had fun and didn’t feel anything sinister about looking like a box of popcorn at all.

Of course, you can also choose to not do the costume-and-candy thing (some of my friends simply oppose the commercialism of it) and get together with friends and roast marshmallows over a bonfire and drink apple cider. It’s up to you.

I hope you have fun with your family this Halloween, however you choose to observe it!