By: KFA
Christian Halloween Alternatives in Celebrations, Movies, Etc

When it comes to most American holidays, Christians have the opportunity to emphasize the more religious aspects of the season or ignore the festivities altogether. For instance, on the 4th of July we are thankful not only for the people who came before us to create the country but also to God for blessing us with the freedoms that we have. Other holidays, like Flag Day, aren’t taken seriously enough for actual celebration (our apologies to any Flag Day fans). Halloween is in a separate category, though. Even if you strip away any ancient beliefs about the holiday, it is still at its core a day about scaring people, dressing in the newest “sexy” costumes, and engaging in debaucherous activity. On the surface we might ask why any Christian would even want to celebrate this holiday. If you and your family are staunchly against Halloween in all forms, we’re not here to say otherwise. Other Christians might feel differently and for them we want to give some good Christian halloween alternatives. There are ways to modestly enjoy this holiday in an appropriate manner. Here are a few tips to enjoy a more Christian Halloween this year.

Christian Halloween Festivals or Carnivals

Many churches offer some kind of fall carnival or harvest festival to celebrate the season. Instead of spider webs and skeletons, these events typically focus on more friendly decor like hay bales, pumpkins, and farming equipment. Like most children, Christian kids want to enjoy all the candy they can get their hands on this season. While you may or may not take part in trick or treating, church activities often provide their own ways for scoring chocolatey treats. Most of the time children can spend their night playing games like the bean bag toss in order to win their candy bar of choice. Aside from games and candy, there may be other activities like an antique car show, a petting zoo, or some kind of cooking contest.

Since it is a church activity, there are usually steps taken to create a more Christian Halloween experience. This might mean that costumes are limited to Biblical themes or there might even be a presentation of sorts where the gospel is shared or special music performed. Every church is different, but one thing is for sure: there are always alternatives that make for more Christian Halloween parties.

Depending on what kind of community you live in, there may be other toned-down Halloween parties put on by the city or another organization where innocent fun like face painting and other live entertainment takes place. Take the time to search your area for possibilities. If you don’t find anything quite to your liking, then just start your own party or carnival in the neighborhood. Put together some games, tell the neighbors to plan for a potluck, and you’re pretty much set.

Fall Movies That Are Safe Halloween Alternatives

Every season comes with its own special traditions that help us to fully appreciate the respective times of year. For the fall this might mean apple cider, pumpkin pie, or maybe your favorite sweater. The same can be said of holidays and movies that bring out the spirit of the season. Who among us doesn’t have a favorite Christmas movie to watch when the end of the year rolls around?

For those looking to experience a more Christian Halloween season, there are a few films out there that are festive without going overboard. If you have children, you might want to watch the many segments of Looney Tunes that feature fall themes. Keeping with the cartoon theme, there are also quite a few Scooby Doo movies that are tame entertainment. Let’s be real, the whole show is basically a Halloween theme where the monsters turn out to be people in costumes. Another cartoon classic is “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” For more recent computer-animated films, check out Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc.” and “Monsters University.”

If you love classic films, there are quite a few that take place around Halloween. Two of our favorites are “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The former is more of a Christmas movie than fall, but it does have an extensive portion that takes place on Halloween. None of these choices are inherently Christian films in nature, but they are pretty safe for families.

If you want truly religious films that take place on or around Halloween, you’ll be mostly relegated to Christian football movies. Some of our favorites are “Woodlawn” and “Facing the Giants.”

 

 

 

 

Costumes and Home Decor

This is the part of the fall holiday where we separate those who are casual fans and those who are really festive. We’ve all seen that one house down the street that likes to turn the whole property into the set of a George Romero film. Perhaps a few of your neighbors like to put up larger-than-life spiders and cobwebs or create a small graveyard in the front lawn. For a more Christian Halloween approach, you’re probably going to focus less on the spookier side and more on the seasonal. Instead of skeletons and bats, maybe set out a few pumpkins on a bale of hay. You could even set up a scarecrow and a few stalks of corn or a fall-themed sign that has a favorite verse of scripture on it. Nobody said you have to be scary to enjoy the fall season.

Costumes are another thing that Halloween celebrators are known to enjoy. You might decide that this is a step too far or that it’s just not worth the hassle, but plenty of people like the idea of dressing up. For safer costume ideas, think about Biblical characters, occupations, or animals. Secular Halloween parties tend to have a few people who go for something raunchy, offensive, or overly spooky. If the kids want to dress up (or you yourself), try something simple like an angel, lion, or firefighter. As we mentioned before, a lot of church and community festivals encourage costumes so long as they are conservative.

If your family doesn’t like to celebrate this holiday, even as a more Christian Halloween alternative, due to personal convictions, that’s just fine by us. At the end of the day, you’ve got to do what you feel is right. If that means enjoying your own personal stash of candy and playing a board game together or watching a movie, we’re certainly not going to judge. You might even use this opportunity to talk as a family about why you feel that way just so that everyone’s on the same page.

At the K-LOVE Fan Awards, we seek to provide a God-honoring, family-friendly event that is a one of a kind celebration of the biggest names in Christian entertainment. From the hottest names in Christian music, films, and more, we put together the ultimate fan experience. Find out how you can be a part of the action by clicking on the link below.

 

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