My three favorite holidays are as follows:
- Christmas
- My Birthday
- Halloween
I absolutely love Halloween.
It is a holiday that welcomes the Fall season, and one in which we can revel in the joy of wearing costumes, sharing candy, watching scary movies, as well as visit the occasional haunted house.
I grew up in a Baptist church. Each year we celebrated Halloween at our church, but termed it "Family Fun Night." I was cool with the title, as we still dressed up (with no rule stipulations), and we even had our own haunted house in the church as at night, it could be a scary place since the building was a bit older.
Being a man of faith, coming from a family of faith, celebrating many Halloweens, wearing a million different costumes, scaring folks, trick-or-treating, trunk-or-treating, going to haunted houses, watching The Shining and Stephen King's It, I never lost or compromised my faith. The Fall is still my favorite time of year, and I have always viewed Halloween as entry point to the Holiday Season.
However, many people still struggle with Halloween, associating the day with evil and a contradiction of religious beliefs, versus a celebration of Fall. This interpretation can be pervasive, and is often passed down through generations, leading to alternate, often less appealing versions of the holiday. Substitutions for Halloween such as “Hallelujah Nights,” and “Family Fun Nights” can be viewed as corny or irrelevant if we forget the central reason for planning these events. We don't do it for ourselves, we do it for our children, who simply love to be kids, love candy, and love to dress up as their favorite character.
Ultimately, the day is what we make it.
As we often consider ourselves modern people, we must realize that nothing we can ever do will separate us from the love of God. If we approach October 31st with love and joy, instead of anxiety and apprehension, we stand to create an awesome fun-filled day for our children.
Rev. Eichelberger (a.k.a. Reverend "Ike") is an experienced Pastor, serving in Christian Ministry for 13 years. Over the years Eichelberger has held the roles of Associate Pastor, Executive Pastor, Senior Pastor, Hospice Chaplain, and Youth Pastor at faith-based institutions throughout the midwest and southeast. He has also served as an Academic Strategist and Advisor at Philander Smith College, Little Rock, AK.