Trick or Treat...

Ok, this will be another one of my blog posts that may or may not come across as very popular.  No scriptures to start off with, no article posts, just my personal view and opinion on traditions such as Halloween, the Easter bunny, and whatnot.  My main reason for posting this is to share not only my two cents worth on these topics, but to shed light on an area we Christian single parents may often overlook.  So here goes...

In short, I did a study on the history of Halloween, carving pumpkins, the Easter bunny, Santa, and other topics last year.  What I discovered confirmed a lot of what I had already suspected.  If you do the research yourself, you will find some very dark and demonic roots to Halloween and Jack-o-Lanterns, and the Easter bunny is basically a pagan god for fertility.  We basically tell our kids not to fib or tell lies, but we share stories of tooth fairies and flying reindeer for the first 5-10 years of their lives.  Now don't get me wrong, I vividly remember the mystery and excitement I had as a child when it came to jolly ol' St. Nick, but I didn't grow up in a Christian home either. 

So am I saying that if we participate in any of these traditions that we are not Christians?  Absolutely not.  However, we ARE to be our kids' number one leadership when it comes to raising them in Christ.  Easter (or Resurrection Day) is to celebrate the single greatest moment in the history of the world- the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, and Christmas is to remember His birth. In fact, I made the decision to tell my daughter the truth about Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the tooth fairy at the beginning of this year while she was still 5 years old.  I explained to her that I was telling her all of this because we are supposed to be focusing on Jesus first in our lives.  Her reaction?  Nothing- she was totally cool with it.  She loves Jesus passionately already and I'm not going to hinder either my walk or hers. 

So what can be some alternatives?  I have decided that for Halloween I will take her out somewhere fun: like Chuck-E-Cheese or the movies or something.  That way she doesn't miss out on any of the fun at all.  She can have plenty of chocolate at Easter- but I'm leaving the bunny out of the mix.  And of course, presents at Christmas time, but knowing that she knows and understands the true "reason for the season" in the first place.

I would encourage everyone reading this to do your own research on these holidays and match them up with Scripture; then come to your own conclusions.  Our world already has a full-blown assault on our children's souls.  The atheists and Muslims are training their kids up in their ways, but we're focusing on imaginary people and creatures.  If we are to train up the next generation for God's purposes, then it MUST begin with we parents on the home front.  Remember Paul's words in Romans 12:2:  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (NASB, emphasis added)