Halloween is always a difficult situation for some Christians. Some of the themes and motifs seem to have some tension with Christian morals and religious doctrine. But does this mean Christian children should avoid any time of celebration?
The New Christian Alternative to Halloween: Light Parties[/tweetthis]
Some churches are trying to start a new holiday celebration called “light parties.” It has many of the same elements of Hallowwn: costumes, candy, and games, however, there are restrictions on scary costumes or anything too closely related to Halloween. The concept of the light is to stave off the “darkness” of Halloween.
Light parties represent one of the three major ways Christians are uncomfortable with Halloween and do not wish for their children to celebrate. The first is to ignore the festivities entirely. The second is to use the themes of Halloween to scare children in “fear-inducing outreaches.” These will use hell, demons, and witches as a cautionary tale about a life of not following the beliefs of Christians. Light parties are alternative Halloween events just as pumpkin patch pickings, harvest festivities, and learning more about All-Saints Day.
That is part of the reason most people, even Christians, may not have heard about light parties. There are so many different options, none of them have gained enough significant prominence to become the single alternative. The events also cater to a smaller amount of people, meaning they get less news attention. Most are also done by individual churches so the advertising for them is not as popular.
The light parties seem to help parents who do not want Halloween celebrations but don’t want their children to feel left out.