Substituting Holidays For Your Kids

Should you or should you not allow your kids to celebrate Halloween? Of course our young ones are eyeing that beautiful Elsa or sleek Batman costume! However, this is a very controversial issue in the church since Halloween represents something much deeper at it’s core. I’m not here to try to convince you one way or another, because your mind is probably already made up on the issue. However, what I am going to do is address those parents who prefer not to celebrate holidays such as Halloween.

If you’re not going to celebrate a popular holiday because of religious beliefs it is important that you substitute it with something that you feel is more suitable for your child. Something the child will enjoy and that will replace the offending holiday. I say this because kids need relaxation just like anybody else and they see other kids enjoying various holidays, so of course they’re going to want some form of outlet or there will be resentment. At the same time, use this as an opportunity to educate your child on what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. You’ll find that if you pick a good substitution, kids will more than likely be content. It becomes a win-win situation.

Now there are some individuals who do not want to celebrate any holidays with there kids, and I’m going to tell you flat out that this is wrong. Even our Lord and Savior was one to celebrate on special occasions. Remember the marriage feast at Cana of Galilee (John 2:1-11) or the Passover Feast where Jesus spoke to His disciples about the importance of communion right before he was betrayed (Matt 26:17-30)? These are some key examples of our Lord and Savior celebrating on special occasions. If he was one to celebrate, even before His own death, shouldn’t we do likewise?

You only get to be a kid once and a lot of that time is rough. School, bullies, chores, etc… Kids needs outlets. So have special time with your kids or maybe even some of their friends. Here are a few ideas for autumn:

1. Hotdog and S’mores roast
2. Hayride
3. Scavenger hunt for goodies
4. Caramel apples and popcorn sleepover party
5. Pumpkin smashing contest

Friends, part of being a kid means having fun and kids don’t want to miss out on anything good, so if we’re going to take something away, let’s add something and make it better. You’ll find that kids can be very understanding and a lot of times they’ll forget about silly holidays like Halloween just as long as you give them something exciting to look forward to. I mean, what kid wouldn’t love a hotdog and S’mores roast? Thank you for reading and God bless.