A Day I Can Forgo

It’s here, THAT season. It’s already in stores. Halloween.  Stores have freshly stocked shelves with 30% off ticket items by the rows. There are black cats, witch hats, spiders, eerie tombstones and yes, the ever-dreaded skulls.   

I LOVE the fall; it is my favorite season. Apples, pears, and all varieties of squash, along with beautiful towering sunflowers. The colors are so rich and vibrant. I decorate my home seasonally with warm orange, burgundy and brown tones. But Halloween does not roll this gal’s socks. Nope.

I am often asked why I have chosen not to celebrate Halloween. Why I don’t find it “all in fun.”  What is fun about it?  Regardless of how we attempt to cutesy it or slap a smile on it, if you take a step back and look at the basic themes, it is of fear, death, and darkness.

Before I get all kinds of comments, emails, texts, and smoke signals, please let me explain why (for me) I choose not to.   My family used to do the Halloween thing when I was little. Sure, I wore the thin fabric climb in costumes with the sweaty plastic masks.  But after I came to understand and was adopted as a daughter of the Most High God and learning of His Majesty and His glorious light—I do not participate in the day of darkness.

I have seen and experienced too much from the dark side (you can’t un-see or un-know) to play with it like a child’s toy or pretend in dress up.  While the parties take place, and the candy bowls filled and children running from door to door—unbeknownst to us in the background, far in the dark corners, there are cultic activities taking place.  Those deeply into the occult take this scheduled day very seriously and yes, the dark forces they are dealing with are very real!  (*See the history of Halloween below).

We must remember, “our great enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  It won’t stand up in the crowd vigorously waving, “Over here, I’m here.”  It will stealthily peek in with the ugly and the demonic. It will come again and again for any crack or sliver of compromise on our part. Darkness always has an agenda.  ALWAYS. Seeking ANY and all opportunities to oppose the gracious love, beauty, and majesty of our God.

Yes, an emphasized day I can forgo.

Alrighty. Gently climbing down off my soapbox (as not to hurt myself) and dragging it back to the corner.  No condemnation, just offering insight. You are loved.

In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds” – Hebrews 10:24).

*History of Halloween: “Halloween’s customs are thought to have been influenced and dated back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) the celebration of their New Year on November 1. They believed the night before the new year (Oct 31) the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred and the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities, this done in attempts to appease them. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes.” (History.com). In addition, according to Wiccans, Halloween is the time when the veil between the living and the dead is considered to be the thinnest. They celebrate and take advantage of such status. I used to work with an openly devout Wiccan (we sat next to each other). I was so distracted by her unholy demeanor—I could feel the darkness on her. As I began to pray for her and over her—within a week, she was gone, and her desk was cleaned out.