Want to see a group of Christians become divided? Bring up the topic of Halloween. Those on both sides of the aisle are passionate about their views. While there are important things to consider no matter where you stand on Halloween, no matter your level of involvement, it can be an opportunity to share God’s love with your children and those around you.

4 Ideas to Help Your Family Shine Light on Halloween

1. Pumpkins

One of my favorite childhood memories is carving the pumpkin each Halloween with my siblings and my dad. The Pumpkin Gospel by Mary Manz Simon is a wonderful book to read during this activity to explain the Gospel message. Written by Liz Curtis Higgs, The Pumpkin Patch Parable is another precious story comparing us to pumpkins and relating how God can turn a simple pumpkin with all of its yuck inside into a beautiful pumpkin shining His light. Though a secular book, The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano is a fun rhyming book celebrating differences.

2. Fall Carnivals

Our church uses Halloween as an outreach opportunity for the community and as a service project for the youth group. Each year, they fill the parking lot with carnival games organized by the middle and high school students. The entrance fee for church families is a bag of candy and canned goods. The only rule is no scary costumes. A short Gospel illustration is shared during the event. This would be a fun idea for a neighborhood block party as well.

3. Walk Through the Bible Night

Most are familiar with the drive-through nativity that churches do around Christmas time. I love the idea of doing a “Walk Through the Bible” at Halloween. Invite the community to witness the Bible by visiting different stations where people are dressed up to match a particular Bible story. After a short overview of the story, give each child watching an item representing the story (i.e. Noah’s Ark – Skittles, Jonah – Goldfish crackers). See more ideas here.

4. “Fruit of the Spirit” Jar

In our home, one of the biggest downfalls of Halloween is the abundance of candy afterward. While I don’t want my family eating all of it, I also can’t throw away all of that chocolate and caramel goodness! I was thrilled when I discovered the idea of a “Fruit of the Spirit” Jar. Fill a jar with all the collected candy and label it “Fruit of the Spirit”. Sit down with your child and explain that your family is going to help each other develop the “Fruit of the Spirit” using the candy jar. Choose one characteristic per day. Every time someone is “caught” displaying that behavior, he or she gets to take out a sweet treat from the jar. Encourage the kids to look for other family members displaying the “fruit” as well.

Halloween doesn’t have to be a dark holiday. We can shine bright the hope of Jesus.

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16