This is not meant to be a political post or a religious post per se. This is simply how our family came to the conclusion that Halloween was something we would not participate in. We do not force our beliefs on anyone else. It’s just a conviction the Hubster and I have for our family. My prayer is that this site will first and foremost show you my heart and passion for my Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, occasionally I will share something that may be a little controversial so you can learn more about me, my family and our hearts.
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When we found out Mister Bull was going to be a boy, I immediately started looking for the perfect Halloween costume. I have always loved all those baby costumes. I literally couldn’t wait to shop for one! My mom and I found the cutest giraffe costume for him. Isn’t it so cute?!
We didn’t do much his first Halloween, seeing as he outgrew his costume nearly 3 weeks before October 31st!!! Well, that and he couldn’t eat candy and we sure didn’t need it. So, we just stayed in and played with our little guy.
The summer of 2006 I decided to start looking at patterns for a costume. Money was tight and my mom offered to make a costume for Mister Bull. We found this adorable Scarecrow costume and just fell in love. I had to have it for him!
2nd Halloween (2006)
This time, we decided to go to a church Harvest party. Being only 1½ years old, he really just wanted a sucker, then sat down and ate it! Lol Sure he played a few games, but as soon as he realized he was getting candy, it was all over. He just wanted to eat it!
The next few years we went to a few church parties and trunk-or-treats, but really it was all about the candy and of course, the cute costume.
4th Halloween (2008)
When Mister Mouse came along, I immediately started thinking about what the boys could wear for Halloween. Mister Bull wanted to be “King Peter” from Chronicles of Narnia, so we decided Mister Mouse could be Aslan. So again, I employed my mom’s superior sewing skills. Isn’t she amazing?! The kids aren’t too bad either!
Mister Mouse’s 1st Halloween (2009)
We went to a HUGE Harvest party for a couple hours and realized it was just too much for us. Mister Bull got tons of candy and Mister Mouse got a few pieces too. We came home with two tired and cranky kids and more candy than we could ever eat – literally.
We threw the candy out sometime around the next July. We still had a TON of it left too!! We just don’t give our kids candy. We had all but decided not do Halloween anymore when Mister Bull had a mega-meltdown. So, we quickly pulled together some costumes, buying minimally (Mister Mouse’s “BOOMER” costume and Mister Bull’s football pants) and using mostly what they had (Miss Priss’ OU cheerleading outfit and Mister Bull’s OU jersey).
Miss Priss’ 1st Halloween (2010)
We went to a small church’s Trunk-or-Treat and again, came home with more candy than we could eat in a year. Then, add in Valentine’s Day and Easter and we’re on complete candy overload! When, in September, we threw out all the Valentine’s, Easter and 2010 Halloween candy, we realized something needed to change. Now, candy isn’t the only reason we don’t “do” Halloween, but it was the starting point for us. We don’t allow our kids to eat candy very often, so really it wasn’t a difficult decision.
Then, the Hubster and I began talking more about the Why and realized we probably should have never started Halloween to begin with. So, here are our personal reasons for not “doing” Halloween.
- TOO MUCH CANDY ~ While this may seem like a silly reason, it’s true. The yearly dumping of Halloween candy was just ridiculous.
- Costumes ~ Not only did the costumes cause unnecessary spending of money we didn’t always have, it was/is getting harder to find “nice” and “friendly” costumes. We don’t allow our kids to watch many of the mainstream, popular cartoons/movies, so why would we let them dress-up like those characters? I know this may seem like a silly thing, but when my kids are terrified to go down the Halloween aisle at Wal-mart because of all the masks and horror costumes – I don’t think going out in mass crowds of masks and horror costumes is a good idea. And unless we made our costumes every year, most of them were inappropriate for our modesty standards.
- Scary Decorations ~ The decorations these days are not like those when I was growing up. They seem to be dominated by more realistic Halloween icons versus the “fun” and silly witches or sheet-ghosts of my day.
- Religious views ~ SATAN is prevalent today. For those who may not know or believe it, the evils of this world can not be taken lightly. The Bible says, “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12,ESV) Our battle is not against man, but against Satan and his schemes. This is just another way he can get “in” our society and minds. He his sneaky and patient. He will continually work and worm his way into our lives if we even crack the door one iota. I respect those who feel they can be a better witness out there with the masses, but as for us, we feel our time is better spent at home in prayer and teaching our children why we must be so careful about “holidays” like this one.
- These are our opinions and convictions. Just like anything else, we do not push our beliefs on anyone else. But I would encourage you to use your Biblical eyes when approaching Halloween.
A couple weeks ago, I read a post that eloquently expressed many of the same beliefs we have. You can read Meghan’s thoughts over at her blog, First Comes Love.
What are your thoughts on Halloween? Does your family participate? Why or Why not?
Thanks for stopping by today!!
Blessings,
Annette
Sharing my thoughts with these parties: