Glad your kiddos had fun – they looked cute!! They are seriously getting so big – I think Jack Henry’s 1st birthday was the last time we saw you!!

MY whole issue is the fact that I never really understood how to not celebrate Halloween without it seeming weird. I had friends whose parents wouldn’t let them dress up or trick or treat, but instead they handed out candy to others. And they all felt like it meant that trick or treating was bad. But trick or treating is not the issue. So I feel like you either celebrate it completely or you don’t at all. How do you have a middle ground? Even church Harvest Festivals are still a celebration of Halloween. They’re just in a more controlled setting, which I totally respect. But I don’t think you can attend a church Harvest Fest and claim that you don’t celebrate Halloween. Does that make sense?

Ultimately, yes, research is key and doing what you feel is right for your family is important. That’s the best thing you can do for your kids!

Also, I read somewhere awhile back – don’t remember where – that the origins of Halloween are Celtic and that the Celts thought that the day before All Saints Day that the spirits of the dead come out of their tombs. So the Celts would dress up in a scary way and decorate their houses with scary stuff to scare the spirits away. I actually remember reading it in several different places – so does the book just not include this (People – even Christians – tend to distort or leave out things to make something “fit” with their opinion) or is everything I read not true? I guess I will have to do a little research.

Again, my kids do dress up and we talk about why certain costumes are not okay but we don’t trick or treat for various reasons.