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| Picture credited to Anna E. October 2011. |
I just wanted to see my cute, little boys dressed up and to go out to meet the neighbours, so we took the books out for Hallowe'en this year. And the boys were so cute, and the neighbours were so nice and the treats were plentiful. It's really amazing how many people really go all out for this holiday!
I think it was the wrong choice for us. Most other Christian families I know don't go out, some of our closest Orthodox friends do, almost all of our non-Christian friends go, and everyone has their own reasons (or not). Whatever may be the decisions of others, my husband and I had previously discussed and decided not to take the boys out. Not to bring it up, not to talk about it, to basically pretend that it didn't exist. It wouldn't be hard because both my husband's birthday and my oldest son's birthday are just a few days on either side of Hallowe'en.
We talked about giving out treats as it is a hospitable thing to do (don't turn away guests, which makes sense to me), so that's not really celebrating it. But dressing up the kiddies and taking them door-to-door, even using the "reason" of getting to know the neighbours, is actively participating in a holiday we don't agree with.
Why don't I agree with it? For one, it encourages scary, ugly, nightmare-ish images: witches cackling, dismembered mummies, mean ghosts and zombies. For another, it's been largely commercialized for the profit, and I really dislike anything that's around just to put money in the pocket of these gratuitously large businesses. Lastly, it takes death, and disfigures it to resemble something hokey, something to poke fun of and to make light of it.
So, is it worth the fight? Well, I guess we'll see when we get there. Am I making too a big deal out of it? I'll keep reading and talking to my husband and priest. Either way, I hope I'll be stronger next year at least to stick to what I decide.
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