[Michael]

Halloween is Goblins and Witches and family fun. But is this a positive environment for our children? The Light Party is an alternative that keeps the fun part and promotes Christian viewpoints. And it was started by a friend, client and business partner here in New Zealand - Dennis Smith.

I hope I have not opened up a can of worms with this topic. Halloween is certainly a rather large celebration in the US and it is getting bigger here in NZ. But I do not like the fact that it is also the biggest celebration day for witches, and is a time of focussing to the dark rather than Gods light.

[freebird]

i've always celebrated halloween, have never looked at it this way and the light party, (which i will check out more later) seems like a good alternative. For my family it's always been homemade costumes and pumpin carving, trick or treating and having fun. Even now, being that i live away from my parents we get together on halloween and try to come up with quick easy costumes for each other, carve out some pumpkins, and roast the seeds as we play cards or boardgame answering the door to give out candy.
I know that halloween is connected with spirits and dark things, i know that it was once called all hallow's eve, but i bet if you asked kids these days where halloween originatet from or what the tradition is all about they probably don't know, see it only as a time to dress up and get candy. Well, maybee i'm wrong but that's just my opinion.

[LittleLisaMarie]

Sorry but WE LOVE HALLOWEEN in this house. Dressing up, getting scared and scareing others is so much fun.

Was hoping to get to fright fest at six flags this year also.....

Its a day to let loose have fun and be silly....We have an annual halloween party here in our co op development for all the kids. THey eat lots of candy, dress up, party and eat yucky things like mud {chocolate pudding with crushed oreos and gummy worms} and trick or treat

Oh and its also my surgery anniversary so i love it even more now!

Need to have fun, we only live once.....

[xsmith95]

I don't think kids really look at it as a day about witches and gobblins and such. I think they are more excited about getting a bunch of candy! I have heard of the Light party. They are starting to take off in our area too.

[DocSanae]

Originally Posted by T2DMan

I hope I have not opened up a can of worms with this topic. Halloween is certainly a rather large celebration in the US and it is getting bigger here in NZ. But I do not like the fact that it is also the biggest celebration day for witches, and is a time of focussing to the dark rather than Gods light.

Harharhar, you probably have.
For one thing, not all witches are bad (as with Glinda in the Wizard of Oz), and although without the light, there will be no shadows, without the shadows, there will be no depth. If everything was light, would we be able to truly appreciate what light is, and be grateful for it? I'm inclined to think, we'll end up not appreciating light because it's always there.
We shouldn't close our eyes and pretend that evil isn't there, if we do, we could easily get entrenched in evil, but if we are aware what there is, then we can work to overcome it.

I thought the idea of All Hallow's Eve was that the spirits are having that final desperate party before they are scattered and scared away by the Saints the next day, and that those spirits were originally thought to be the spirits of the deceased who returns for one night, and not evil witches and whatnots. I say, consider Halloween a reminder that there can be bad things, but the next day--All Saints' Day-- is a good day, and in the end, the good will overcome the evil.

And as LisaMarie says, dressing up and becoming a different person once a year is fun

[Michael]

Family celebrations, get togethers and fun are certainly a good things. And not throwing out the baby with the bathwater is the idea of the Light party.

I know there are shadows and darkness. I choose the light

[freebird]

ok, well i heard the story or read somewhere or some such that halloween (all hallo's eve) started because people believed that this one night was a night that evil could get through to the living side and that people put out food to appease the spirits and keep them from entering their houses.

[Pillows]

I have always loved Halloween and actually got baptised into my church on Halloween when I was 8 years old...(my birthday is close to Halloween so that is why) I think that as long as you are not going overboard into the dark and scary factor with your kids, it is a harmless tradition. We don't personally encourage our kids to wear any really dark or scary costumes or any that are suggestive, but I think that the chance to play pretend is fun and I also love to see all the costumes. I understand why you would view it this way though Michael and to each their own.
Janae