Wednesday, October 31, 2012

halloWEAN


It's October 31st.
Halloween.

I won't lie and tell you that I haven't celebrated this holiday before.
In fact, last year I dressed up as a dead person and was horribly "sick" the next day.
And that's all I need to say about that.

This year, I'm doing it differently.
No dressing up.
No handing out candy.
No pumpkin carving.
No spooky home decor.

Sure, I'm dressed in all black today, but not creepy all black.
I'm listening to "Halloween Party" on Pandora.
I'm volunteering at a Christian harvest carnival this evening.
But I'm not celebrating Halloween.

It's amazing the twists and turns my life has taken since last year.
As I told you, in 2011, I went as a dead person... a DEAD PERSON!
This year, I'm so alive.

If you'd like an interesting perspective on the topic of Halloween, read this post.
For another perspective, read this post.

Now—I would never judge anyone for celebrating Halloween, for dressing up, or for having fun tonight.
But I'll be having a different kind of fun.
An "in the world, but not of the world" kind of fun.
And boy, it feels so good.

Happy Hallowean!

27 comments:

LaLa said...

Love it!!

Elisha said...

GLORY TO GOD! :) xo

Lily said...

Amen!!! Totally in agreement with this post! :D

Angi said...

Totally agree!!! I haven't celebrated Halloween...well, ever...and I don't regret it!!

Unknown said...

Love it! I was never allowed to celebrate Halloween for the exact reasons written in the post, and as an adult, I still will not celebrate.

David Moberly said...

Beautiful Post! Life > death

Leah said...

in the world, but not of it. exactly! never have celebrated it either and happy not to. great post.

Joanna said...

i love that you dressed as a dead person last year... pretty ironic and now you are ALIVE

Why Girls Are Weird said...

Lovely post lady.

Lauren Nicole said...

I never look down on anyone who dresses up and celebrates, but for me, personally, I have no desire! I work, anyway, so as for my "costume", I will a waitress at Olive Garden. Woo.

xo, oolalalauren.

Anonymous said...

I just read that post and had my mind challenged too. I've always been one to hide away on Halloween but it's sometimes difficult to explain to people. I shall be spending my night watching an totally un-terrifying movie with a big bag of sweets to share with loved ones, not with kids threatening to egg the house!! =)
Love, Nikki Joy x

Kelly said...

Happy Halloween!

xx
Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes

Baylee said...

I'm not normally one to leave a negative comment.. I'm not sure who wrote that post on the history of Halloween.. but it is not what I would consider correct. Being a pagan myself, and having Halloween aka Samhain being our biggest holiday I have to point out a few things. Pagans/witches/wiccans are commonly mistaken for being "evil" and same with Pagans/Witches/Wiccans of the past. (I can't say for every single person out there but for the most part both Pagans and Christians are not evil.. although I'm sure a few slip through).. This is a common misconception that they did human sacrifices or occultic practices. In fact the number one law of being a witch/wiccan/pagan is "An it harm none do what ye will." We don't believe the dead walk the Earth causing mischief and harm. We use this time to celebrate our loved ones who have passed. We make meals they like and tell stories of who they were. We put out jack-o-laterns to draw the evil spirits AWAY. We celebrate the harvest which has just taken place and try to eat foods that were harvested in the past months.
I am not at all saying "no, you need to celebrate Halloween!" not at all. Just wanting to clear up a misconception about my Pagan/Witch/Wiccan brothers and sisters.
I have 2 pages that probably explain better then me;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

Ragan said...

i appreciate your perspective, very well said!

Kiki said...

I find it so interesting to read people's views on Halloween. Growing up, my dad let us trick-or-treat for a few years before he decided it wasn't for us. During that short time, we had the choice of being an animal, a princess, or an angel.

Since then, I'm really not much of a Halloween person. Sure, we still hand out candy and glowsticks to kids, but that's about it.

I have no idea what I'll do when I'm a parent. I've read other blogger's opinions and I like the idea of making sure we love our neighbors and focusing on that instead of the holiday itself. I think that's a good reminder, for a day like today, too.

Anyway, thank you for sharing your thoughts on the holiday! It was refreshing and a good reminder on where our hearts + minds need to be!

Amy said...

I have only been to oneor two harvest parties. I don't have time with anything like that though. Today is a Wednesday and I have school tomorrow.

Erin said...

From a friends blog on a similar subject

"...I'm not trying to convince you to change your convictions, buy a demon costume, and play with a Ougi Board in the name of Christ. I simply want to remind you that Jesus came into a world full of people who are broken and hurting and He met them where they were. He was accused of being a drunkard and glutton and some attempted to insult him by calling him, "a friend of sinners".


http://ryanrosenbaum.blogspot.com/2012/10/halloween-jesus.html

Emily {Isnt That Charming} said...

A refreshing and new perspective on Halloween! Love it.
Isn’t That Charming.

Rachel said...

I've never celebrated halloween--there is so much yucky stuff associated with it and connected to if that I just feel at peace with not getting involved in it!

Cassie @ Live.Laugh.L0ve. said...

Have fun night love! xoxo

Natalie | Mrs. Janney | said...

I am fine with kids trick-or-treating, but once the teenagers come out, our lights turn off. If you are old enough to drive a car, you can buy your own candy.

I kind of think letting kids celebrate Halloween is kind of like letting your kids believe in Santa. Obviously Santa is NOT the reason we have Christmas, but it is a fun seemingly harmless tradition that is fun for kids. And once they are older, it is time for them to stop and focus on the real reason for the holiday.

I'm sure I'll let my kids trick or treat, but as an adult I have NEVER been one to dress up or anything like that. I view it as a holiday for kids.

I'm so glad you were saved this year! I'm a relatively new follower so I didn't realize that had happened so recently. :)

I'll be interested to see if Christmas is different for you this year. Well you'll be a newly-wed so it definitely well, but still... you know what I mean. :)

Alesha said...

Oh Annie, the transformation in your life is SUCH a blessing to see. I am amazed and challenged by your boldness in proclaiming your faith! Continue on with that. =)
Alesha <3

Chelsea Olivia said...

I must have practiced ignorance is bliss all my life regarding Halloween because it never even occurred to me that people are against it for religious reasons haha. I read that other post you linked to, interesting. But I also read that readers comment up there that is Pagan and find that interesting as well. I know there are a lot of misconceptions about Pagans as I've done some reading on it before. I've never been one to dress in spooky outfits but if people want to then go for it! Each to their own. And to the above comment about teenagers trick or treating, as my mom says, "I'd rather have them trick or treating then blowing things up and killing people's cats". Well said, mom.

Victoria said...

I would love to hear more! Your thoughts on what to do instead and even why you don't celebrate it anymore.

In my family, we "gave up" halloween about 8 yrs ago. Before that we were TOTALLY into as in more than ANY other holiday. We had parties, dressed up, and went all out. It was cute and fun and only slightly scary. I never dressed up as a witch or anything, but we did blood and death etc. Then a few years after getting saved and recieving new life in Christ my Mom began to think differently.

I have continued to grow in thinking differently about it too. I do wonder how to explain it to others though. Especially kids eho just see it as fun and free candy. And where do we draw the line.

Even if we e-mail, I would SERIOUSLY love to talk about this with you! I want to hear your testimony on the subject and even your advice. I know a post could start drama, so e-mail me!

Ausmerican Housewife - Creating with Kara Davies said...

As a kid we carved pumpkins, put on costumes and went to our neighbors houses for trick or treating .... AFTER mom had fed us a full dinner. (I distinctly remember dinner being grilled cheese and tomato soup one year, my mom's famous bean bacon soup the next.) Then we'd head off to church for the annual harvest carnival. I preferred the carnival to trick or treating.

The last time I dressed up was before I met my husband. (And that was in '05. Haven't done the dress up and get candy thing since. I can get my own candy from the store any day I want to!) I don't mind kids dressing up as their favorite character (not evil ones though) and heading to a safe sponsored carnival or festival. That's not so bad. Not what I'd prefer to send my children out to do as a safe "alternative" to the evil that lurks about on the 31st....

What bothers me is the people that go all out and do the tombstone/cobweb/spiders/cookies-that-look-like-severed-fingers/creepy thing to the nines. No thank you. My children are dead. There's nothing even remotely appropriate as dressing up like a zombie or a skeleton, not when my own children's bodies are decaying in the Earth. I've seen my share of Death and I'd rather not see any more.

The stores down here in Australia are carrying more and more Halloween stuff each year. Some even going so far as to call it Helloween. No thank you. I'd rather the stores bring out only Christmas stuff too early! Halloween doesn't really work down here. Lots of Aussies see it as another "American holiday invasion" by stores wanting to get more from their pockets. I'll have no part in it!

You'll not find us dressing in costume or bothering our neighbors for sweets or "decorating" our house with things that are related to death or creepy crawlies. You just won't. We love our Jesus and we enjoy a good costume now and then but not October 31st. We had a belated family dinner for my husband's birthday at our local club this year. And that was fine with me. If you come to our door expecting a hand out of sugar, I'm not sorry to disappoint you. You'll be told that we don't do Halloween here and that we've no candy and you'll be told to leave.

Britni Alexis said...

So proud of you, girl! <3 ya!

ilene @ muchloveilly said...

the more i read your blog, the more i love it! have a fabulous weekend, sister!

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