“… dressed them…

and gave them food…”

2 Chronicles 28:15

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You know what time of year I hate?  Halloween. 

You know what time of year I love?  Halloween.

Let me explain.  No ~ there is too much.  Let me sum up.  {Name that movie.}

My reasons for hating Halloween are probably obvious.  Unpleasant costumes, decorations, movies, TV shows… I try to live my life by Philippians 4, and meditate on things which are lovely, pure, noble, et cetera, but the month of October makes that hard to do.  When my children were little, I went out of my way to shield them from such disagreeable sights; now they attempt to shield me. 

But it’s also a fun time of year for me, because of my kids.  While my children share my distaste of the ghoulish and bloody and evil side of the holiday, they love candy (of course) and they love costumes.  Over the years we have gone trick-or-treating, attended Harvest Festivals at our church, or at other neighborhood churches, or at the local private school, or attended or hosted parties.  Luckily there are plenty of ways to get into the spirit (so to speak) without denying one’s principles. 

And then there’s the costumes themselves.  We have never been a costume-buying family.  I just can’t abide spending that kind of money on an outfit that is only worn one night.  Not to mention they’ve often made it their choice to do something a little different, and less commercial than what’s popular.

When they were little, and played dress-up as a regular part of their playtime, we had lots of stuff around the house from which we could put together a great costume.  As they got older, it got a little harder, but we still made it happen.  Maybe something from Goodwill, maybe a few borrowed accessories… add a little craftiness and a little ingenuity, and Bob’s your uncle!

I have a love/hate relationship with the whole process, to be sure.  They generally have a vision in their minds, and it can be tricky to help them achieve it to their satisfaction, with as little money and effort on my part as is possible.  And every year I think “I have too much to do to take on this project!”  But it’s my joy to try.  I’m crazy about those two people, and working together with them to achieve something that’s important to them is important to me.  Even something as meaningless, in the grand scheme of things, as a Halloween costume. 

1 Peter 5 tells us to cast all our cares upon God, because He cares for us.  I think we should do that for one another, too.  I care about things my kids care about, simply because they care about them.  And I love doing that.

 

~ “If you then,

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your Father who is in heaven

give good things to those who ask Him!” ~

Matthew 7:11

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