Why I like trick or treating even though I’m a Christian
I’ve been a Christian all my life and depending which church I’ve been involved with, hallowe’en has been viewed with varying degrees of antipathy. In some churches hallowe’en is a total no-go. The general opinion is that Hallowe’en involves all sorts of dark spirituality and one must not dabble. Trick or treating is seen as either flirting with the demonic or condoning it. And we don’t want any of that.
Christian groups who are not keen on hallowe’en respond in a variety of ways. Many churches I’ve been part of have had ‘Light Parties’ on 31st October. With fun and games based on the theme of light, rather than darkness and skeletons. I’ve helped to run quite a few over the years. Some were really rather good. Others were a bit naff. But I just avoided all things hallowe’en because that’s what I’ve always done.
And then, a few years ago, my boys were invited to go trick or treating by a teaching assistant. Her kids always did it, and would we like to come too? So we did. To be honest, I was too tired to say ‘no’. I was single parenting at the time and emotionally exhausted. My kids hardly ever got invites anywhere. They really wanted to go and wouldn’t have understood my objections. Their special needs had made church untenable at that point, so ‘let’s go to a light party instead’ was not a readily available alternative and to be honest, they wouldn’t have coped if it was. Not only that, but I was really touched by the kindness of the woman who had invited us along. Plus, never having ‘done’ trick or treating, I realised I didn’t actually know what it was like. Maybe it was time to lay my misgivings aside and see what it was all about.
That was how I found myself with my kids and lots of other families, wandering around a nearby housing estate doing ‘trick or treating’. I really wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but it was brilliant. The activity itself worked wonderfully for two hyperactive youngsters. Lots of energy expelled running between houses and only seconds of concentration required at each front door while collecting sweets.
Mainly, I found myself deeply moved by the community togetherness and the generosity of neighbours. Young children were accompanied by parents. There was an informal hallowe’en ‘code’ that meant the kids only knocked on the houses that were decorated, so anyone not wanting to take part could just avoid the whole thing. Those who were taking part had often gone to great efforts to decorate for hallowe’en. Some of it was incredibly creative. And they had bought in lots of sweets and treats to give away to complete strangers who came knocking. There was one woman who had made hallowe’en cupcakes to give away. She must have spent hours. What kindness.
Take away the veneer of spiders’ webs and ghost costumes, and underneath was not, as I’d always assumed, something unholy and dark, but a community coming together to show love and hospitality to the children in their midst. And I can’t think of anything more Jesus-y than that.
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