The Gospel of Candy

Well, Halloween has come and gone and so has (for this year) the Great Christian Debate of whether or not to participate. I am one of those Christians who has decided that this is a holiday I feel comfortable taking part in - in spite of its origins and what some people choose to make of it.

I would love to write a blog about the pros and cons of participating in Halloween (in fact, I did originally write this blog in that way), but I'm not sure that another voice added to the debate would be helpful considering I have absolutely no authority on the matter either way: all I know is that I love Jesus and I love finding creative ways to let kids know that God loves them.

To me, Halloween is one surely fantastic way to do that.



This cracked up some of my friends but... it's true!

 I'm not saying my love-promoting grab bags were / are intended to create little soldiers for Jesus, and I certainly don't think it's my responsibility to evangalize to as many random people as possible... but I do think that there are some fundamental messages that every child deserves to hear, and "you are special and God loves you" basically sums it up.

I'm a festive person, and I'll take any opportunity to decorate, dress up, and turn a day into a theme. Halloween is a fun way to do that and (just like every other holiday) is an amazing opportunity to spend some much needed time with family and friends.

My brother-in-law and I went a little crazy!

David (brother in law)'s nasty jello brain!

My youngest brother visited and carved a pumpkin - which resulted in a ton of laughs and a lot of good quality time... which is sometimes hard to get with him! My brother in law visited for a few days and made sugar cookies with me, and decorated while putting his creative skills to the test (I think the cookies turned out awesome). My husband and I decorated the outside of our house, which was a ton of fun and worth the effort. Our friends came to visit on Halloween night, resulting in a "how much gum can you chew" contest and some great discussion (after the gum was finished with, obviously).

The time spent with family and friends is worth every second you put into it, and you can do this whether or not you decide to participate in holidays. Same goes for finding opportunities to spread the message that God loves us. I just found Halloween was a great excuse to do both.