As a Christian parent, navigating the traditional Halloween activities can be difficult. Ultimately, it’s our job to glorify God in everything we do. So, how can we honor Him with a holiday that is so contradicting to our beliefs? If you aren’t sure how to celebrate Halloween as a Christian parent here are some activities that you can turn into a yearly tradition.
How to Celebrate Halloween as a Christian
Before we dive into the different ways to celebrate Halloween as a Christian, you need to know what you believe. Just because you follow Jesus doesn’t mean that we have the same view on this spooky holiday.
Our Family’s beliefs surrounding Halloween:
- The holiday in and of itself isn’t evil, how we choose to celebrate it matters.
- Our mission is to glorify God in everything that we do.
- Trick-or-Treating is a chance to share the Gospel.
- The “evil” things that may arise that day are an opportunity to explain to our kids what we believe.
- Create a tradition that leaves lasting memories each year.
Sit down with your spouse and decide what your family believes about Halloween. You may decide dressing up is okay and trick-or-treating is not….. which is why you want to have this conversation. Being on the same page is key to making the most of this holiday.
Again, this is going to differ from family to family.. and that is totally fine! We are all just trying to do the best we can with what we know!
17 Fun Alternatives for Halloween
As I share my favorite ideas for celebrating Halloween as a Christian, I will share a bit of what we do and what we believe. I hope that this helps you to see this holiday from a different perspective. But please know, that if our opinions differ… that is totally okay!!
Alrighty, let’s get into the best ways to celebrate Halloween as a Christian!
1. Plan a Harvest Fest
First and foremost, just changing the name from Halloween to a Harvest Fest doesn’t make it any less “evil.” What we do at this celebration is what matters.
I know a lot of families who are concerned with their children seeing evil things while out in public. So instead, they invite friends over to enjoy the festivities’ safety.
There are a bunch of ideas on this list that you could do at the party. But more commonly, families will do an in-house trick-or-treat or each set of parents will create stations for the kids to enjoy.
2. Carve Pumpkins
A lot of families enjoy carving pumpkins during the fall. You can create some really pretty designs and even have a contest! The fun part is lighting them up and admiring your designs.
I’ve seen some pretty awesome Christ-centered pumpkins, you will have to check out these Christian pumpkin carving stencils!
3. Create a Prayer Pumpkin
If carving pumpkins seems too tricky, you can draw pictures and write prayers on pumpkins. This will be a sweet way for your trick-or-treaters to see Christ!
4. Bible Stories by a Fire
In my parents’ neighborhood, everyone sits in their driveway and has a fire. I think it would be amazing to share Bible Stories or prayers with some s’mores of course.
Imagine how many people you could share the gospel with!
5. Trunk-or-Treat
If you have little people, trunk-or-treat might be a great idea to avoid all the scary costumes. A lot of churches host these. But if you can’t find one, start one with your friends and family.
6. Serve Your Neighbors
Even if your family doesn’t believe in trick-or-treating, you can serve your neighbors instead. Maybe make a pumpkin treat or go door-to-door with candy and a Bible Verse bookmark!
7. Board Game Night
Maybe you want to keep this holiday low-key, so get a new board game and play it as a family! Depending on the age of your kiddos, you could even introduce games you loved as a child.
This will be some nice family time, that your kids will surely remember for years to come!
8. Group Hayride
If you have a truck or know a friend that does, pile some hay in the bed and take a ride singing worship songs. There is sure to be someone that messes up the words and makes everyone laugh!
9. Host a Baking Party
Kids love to bake and decorate sweet treats! If you don’t plan on trick-or-treating, this is a great alternative to give them something yummy.
You could bake cookies in the shape of pumpkins, cupcakes that you decorate with candy, or make rice crispy treats with sprinkles!
10. Decorate Candy Apples
I easily could have incorporated this into the baking party, but I felt like it deserved its own bullet! Candy apples can be decorated with everything from caramel, chocolate, coconut, to M&M’s.
If your children are little, make apple slices!! This is such a fun treat for them to enjoy.
11. Dress Up as “What you want to be when you grow up”
If your family is hung up on whether or not to dress up, try framing it as “what do you want to be when you grow up?” This would be fun to see how your kid’s minds change each year.
12. Go to the Pumpkin Patch
Depending on where you live, going to the pumpkin patch might be a fun family tradition to start. Usually, these are geared towards fall and are less about Halloween.
Back home in upstate NY, you can enjoy cider donuts.. which are absolutely amazing!
13. Movie Night in Your Backyard
Whether you invite friends or just have a family night, set up a white sheet in your backyard for a movie night. There’s something about getting all snuggled up in a blanket while it’s cold out that’s super fun!
14. Classic Harvest Games
You could choose a harvest game to play! There are so many ideas out there, but these are a few of my favorites:
- Flashlight tag
- Potato Sack Races
- Making an Obstacle Course
15. Pumpkin Hunt
Instead of an Easter egg hunt, hide mini pumpkins! You could even have a race and whoever collects the most gets a prize!
16. Night of Prayer
I kind of mentioned this earlier, but have a night of prayer. Gather together with friends and family to pray and worship the Lord!
17. Fall Craft Night
If your kids enjoy crafts, go to Hobby Lobby and find something cute to make! Here are some cute fall craft ideas for kids of all ages:
My Thoughts…
No matter what your views on Halloween are, it’s important to learn how to celebrate it as a Christian. I hope these 17 Halloween alternatives help you to enjoy the holiday and most of all to share the goodness of Christ!
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