Need a balanced Christian perspective on Halloween? Do we allow the children to ‘Trick or Treat’? My husband and I recently found ourselves rehashing this issue as I am sure many of you have also. The following is the conclusion we came to:
Pagan Roots of Halloween
The pagan roots of Halloween are undeniable and no matter what you decide to do, your children should know the problems with those pagan roots and why we as Christians are opposed to paganism in all forms. With that being said, there is more to this issue for me. As a New Covenant Christian, I see absolutely no significance to any one day over against any other day. October 31st is no more inherently sinful that October 30th. Likewise, December 25th is no more holy than D
ecember 26th. We have a giant box of costumes in our house that is full of everything from a General George Washington costume (likely to be complete with red marker to simulate the blood of red coats) to various members of the justice league, princesses, and ballerinas. In that box, we don’t allow witch hats, zombie masks, or scantily clad school girl costumes. Any given day, our kids will dress up and role play in these costumes. Sometimes our kids are invited to dress up parties and schools and friends houses. We have no problem with them doing those types of things if we are with them.
We also have a large bowl of candy on top of our refrigerator. We have to keep it out of reach of the kids so they don’t eat every single piece in one setting, which would teach them that overindulgent glutinous activity is appropriate. Sometimes on occasion, we reward the kids for doing chores or good behavior with selections from that bowl. Just because the unbelievers in the world set one day aside to do these things for sinful reasons, I don’t see any Biblical evidence that we can’t do it for reasons that are not sinful.
The Hypocrisy of Anti-Trick or Treat Folk
If I was to bring a small evergreen tree into my living room and hang American flags on it on July 4th to celebrate Independence Day, no one would shout charges of sinful behavior, but if I do something similar in December, I will be ostracized by many evangelicals for setting up an idolatrous symbol in my home! I would not take my family to a festival dedicated to demons and sorcery on June 1st, and I won’t do it on October 31st either. I won’t let my children wander the neighborhood alone (trick or treat) and take candy from strangers on September 13th, and I won’t do it on October 31st either. I won’t let my children gorge themselves on candy on July 22nd and I won’t do it on October 31st either. A day is a day! No rules exist on one day that don’t exist on others.
Building Relationships
As Christians we will be doing a terrible disservice to our communities if we just simply play like hobbits and hunker down inside of our compounds isolating ourselves from our neighbors on a day when they are out and about. Take advantage of the people being out in the streets and opening their doors to their neighbors. What an opportunity to build relationships and show kindness to our neighbors. Locking our doors, turning off the lights, and hiding our kids in their rooms will accomplish absolutely nothing for the furtherance of the Gospel. Everyday of the year, we must be “in the world, just not of it.” 
We can’t allow our own convictions about a holiday to cause division in the body of Christ, nor can we use our freedom to cause others to stumble in their faith. We are to do all things as to the Lord.
By: Brandon & Jori Elixson
Edits by the ‘Nearly Never Normal’ crew.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2017