Tomorrow at my work it is “Bring your kids to work” day. It’s the first time they’ve organised a day like this with activities for the kids to enjoy. It also coincides with Halloween so the kids are going in costume and there will be a Halloween party for kids and adults afterwards.
My kids have been waiting for this with anticipation since they found out. They’ve been to my office before but, in their words, this is much better.
I was never a fan of Halloween. Pretty much like Carnival in Portugal, I saw it as just another day of the year when retail makes a bunch of money and kids go a little crazy.
That is until I had kids. I delayed it as much as I could. But when your 6 year old begs you to go out trick or treating it’s impossible to say no. That was last year and something tells me I won’t be able to pass on this one for years to come.
The thing is, Halloween is not really a “nice” day. In truth, it celebrates some pretty dark practices and rituals. And so, understandably, many religious people (some of whom my dear friends) are totally against it.
I was in two minds about it. On one hand I get the concerns of my friends. They’re all for peace and love and Godly things and here’s this day of celebrating some pretty evil stuff. On the other hand, for the kids, it’s just a day of putting some scary costumes on and getting loads and loads of sweets from complete strangers.
Deep down, I don’t think I have an issue with it. I think if I had strong feelings against it I wouldn’t go out with the kids.
I think more importantly than being worried about what this day represents for the kids in real terms, I’m more worried with the big picture – that the world is becoming more and more un-Godly, no matter what religion people follow.
Wars, intolerance, poverty, disease, malnutrition, natural disasters, racism, prejudice, I find all these things much more concerning than people having fun with Halloween.
As one of my friends posted this morning on Facebook: “Imagine what seven billion humans could accomplish if we all loved and respected each other” by A.D. Williams.
I prefer to think that if my kids learn to be loving, compassionate, generous, accepting of their fellow humans (and the environment) all year round, one day of playing wicked and scary is not a big deal. I think if God created everything, then that certainly includes our naughty side.