I am so glad that my kids do not have to stay home this evening while others in the neighborhood dress up as ghouls and other things that give me the creeps and knock on strangers doors for sweets. Its surprising really that the American holiday ever really caught on in the UK, and surprising that in an age which fears child abduction and worse that society tells kids to do the very thing it tells them not to the rest of the year! I know some Christians think differently about whether we should partake of this activity but I am very much in the "we don't celebrate evil" camp. I was proud of one of my kids who this year was invited to a halloween-themed birthday party for one of their friends and turned it down without me having to "ban" them from going. "We don't celebrate halloween" was the reason they gave to their friend.

But we do celebrate Jesus. Perhaps we should celebrate the Reformation more than we do. But, in any case, for years now our church like many in the UK have run a "not Halloween" party for the kids. As a result the children do not feel left out as they are with their friends. This year it will be close to 100 children playing together wholesomely and eating hundreds of pounds worth of chocolate and other goodies. I am thankful to be part of a church like that and thankful for those who are organizing this event!