I, however, am not crazy about Halloween. For most of my life I've been pretty indifferent about this holiday...I could take it or leave it. Yet, I am now finding myself more and more in the "dislike" category. I'm not against it all. I like the idea of kids getting dressed up in fun costumes, walking around their neighborhood and receiving candy from friendly neighbors (especially as a dad of two young boys whose weakness is candy). In many ways Halloween brings neighbors and communities together, which is increasingly rare and good in our culture today.
Yet, this year especially I have been aware of the subversive impact that this holiday has on us, and its not all positive. Lately we've been having problems with out four-year old Noah at bedtime. Each and every night he would say that he is scared to go to bed, would speak of monsters in his room, and wake up in the wee hours of the morning screaming. Some may be reading this and think: that's pretty normal stuff...kids afraid of the dark, believing in monsters and screaming in the dark. Giving it further thought this all began around the same time everyone was getting into the Halloween spirit. The cartoons had halloween themes, the stores had scary jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, bats, and witches displayed. While we've been desensitized to these harmless decorations and activities the truth is for many they accomplish the scary response that ghosts, bats, and witches are meant to. Perhaps our harmless Halloween stuff really isn't so harmless after all.
My wife brought up a great point in all of this. She said, "maybe it is normal that 4 year olds are scared of the dark, monsters, noises, ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, etc...but they shouldn't have to be scared." Noah should not have to be afraid at night.
Halloween at is most basic level is a celebration of fear. It has evolved from rituals for remembering the saints of the past to a cartoonish celebration of fear, evil and death. Maybe you think I'm a bit extreme here but "haunted" houses, "horror" movies, "scary" costumes all in some way accomplish this. In a culture that is already permeated by fear why do we feel the need to contribute? People are afraid of everything today from germs to terrorists, why do we need to create and celebrate more fear?
We've done our best to fight a culture of fear in our house. We have tried to teach and model for our boys that, as the Bible teaches, we have not been given a spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind. We have reminded Noah every night that monsters are not real and that he does not need to be afraid. When we ask him why he doesn't need to be afraid he responds, "because Jesus is real."
So here's a suggestion: lets keep dressing up the kids and having some good fun with our neighbors. let's keep picking pumpkins, going on hayrides, having bonfires, and drinking our cider. Let's keep watching our football and enjoying the majestic colors of the leaves. But let's stop scaring each other, especially the kids. Let's celebrate love, beauty, and goodwill. Let's remember that perfect love casts out fear and that ghosts, witches, germs and terrorists have no power over us. Let's remember and celebrate that, as Noah said, "Jesus is real," and that in his great love he has rescued us from all that causes the fear within us!
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