# Halloween



## Scott Bushey (Oct 31, 2006)

What are you doing if some goblin knocks at your door tonight?


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 31, 2006)

joshua said:


> Umm...submitting myself, then, to the Lord. Resistin the Devil. And finishing my dinner.



Joshua,
Are you sittin there in the dark?


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## caddy (Oct 31, 2006)

Passing out Candy here.


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 31, 2006)

Generally, Tina and I shut off all the lights so that it looks like no one is home.


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## caddy (Oct 31, 2006)

I hear a blue million arguments, mostly good, for all the reasons to not be a participant. When I was 5-6-7-8-9-10, I don't remember anything negative about Halloween, I was just in it for the candy, like most kids. IF some of the kids in my neighborhood associate me with greeting them at the door, passing out candy, that's ok with me. I don't decorate with any of the Halloween decorations. We have a farm house and decorate the front with Mums, Cornstalks, traditional fall stuff--or rather, my wife does.

http://webpages.charter.net/caddy/album/


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## caddy (Oct 31, 2006)

I just had a Lifesized McDonald's French Fry and Shake come to my Frontdoor !


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## Ivan (Oct 31, 2006)

Scott Bushey said:


> What are you doing if some goblin knocks at your door tonight?




I don't answer the door...of course, I NEVER answer the door.


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## Arch2k (Oct 31, 2006)

Porch lights are off (I thought the porch lights were the rule to ask for candy ), so I will be eating dinner with my wife soon, and engaging in a nice evening of homework on Reformation Day.


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## ReadBavinck (Oct 31, 2006)

I will answer the door and probably say something like this:

"Hello! Thanks for visiting but because we are Christians we don't celebrate Halloween. So I don't have any candy for you tonight."

Then give them an opportunity to respond. A kind of leaving the door open, if you will. But, I won't keep them.


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## LadyFlynt (Oct 31, 2006)

We don't have Halloween here! YAY!


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## jfschultz (Oct 31, 2006)

No knocks yet. We are in the den watching "Cromwell" with the lights in the front off.


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## Abd_Yesua_alMasih (Oct 31, 2006)

I did not really notice Halloween. Some of the Americans who go to my school dressed up but the New Zealanders mostly just ignored it and had a good laugh at the foreigners dressing up as large breasted vikings, soldiers and hob-goblins.


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## C. Matthew McMahon (Oct 31, 2006)

We sit at the front door just waiting for kids to come by, and if they do we "egg them."

Just kidding.  

Lights are down low, and I'm working on updating somethings on the APM site while Therese is doing her hair.

No knocks....


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## Kevin (Nov 1, 2006)

RELAX, Y'all.

What is gained by making the kids in your neighborhood think of you as the "strange guy who lives on the corner"?

Join in the spirit of the day & have fun with it use it as a chance to get to know the people who live on your street.


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## bfrank (Nov 1, 2006)

We took the kids to a movie...Flicka...then came home made dinner with the front lights out. No one knocked


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## caddy (Nov 1, 2006)

CJ

I understand that most of the views in this forum are to not celebrate Halloween. I don't celebrate it, I just happened to be home this year. I chose not to turn off my lights. I love seeing the kids. Our Church always has a Harvest Festival--which is an alternative to Halloween. Most of our church is usually involved. I just happened to sit out this year. This is just an opinion, but I think coming to the door and making a statement of faith, then turning away little kids and children can be percevied as very negative to the "unwashed" masses. Even if done respectfully and nicely, I just don't think that leaves _most_ Children, who cannot and do not process and understand all the good reasons why you choose not to pass candy out, with a positive view of our faith. I think a better option is to turn down the lights and not come to the door at all, as most here have chosen to do. Another Idea is to pass out some kind of gospel tract, along with candy. God's message can be shared, and those children who have frequented your house will associate you, with not only candy, but with the positive message of the gospel as well.

In all respect, I hope that makes sense. Just a thought.



CJ_Chelpka said:


> I will answer the door and probably say something like this:
> 
> "Hello! Thanks for visiting but because we are Christians we don't celebrate Halloween. So I don't have any candy for you tonight."
> 
> Then give them an opportunity to respond. A kind of leaving the door open, if you will. But, I won't keep them.


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## caddy (Nov 1, 2006)

Amen to this Kevin !

Think of ways to make this a positive thing, not negative. On just one level, think of it as a way to get to know the neighborhood kids. I remember the _strange guy on the corner_ as well when I was a kid. I don't want to be that guy. If our neighbors and the neighborhood children view us as negative and "stogges" how does that prepare us to help them in the future to talk to them or their families about the Grace of our Lord!?






Kevin said:


> RELAX, Y'all.
> 
> What is gained by making the kids in your neighborhood think of you as the "strange guy who lives on the corner"?
> 
> Join in the spirit of the day & have fun with it use it as a chance to get to know the people who live on your street.


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## jaybird0827 (Nov 1, 2006)

We haven't had callers for like 20+ years now, and that counts 3 different addresses.

We just make the front of the house as dark as possible.

Thankfully people are so safety-conscious about this getting repeated messages through the media that you don't go up to a dark house.


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## historyb (Nov 1, 2006)

caddy said:


> CJ
> 
> I understand that most of the views in this forum are to not celebrate Halloween. I don't celebrate it, I just happened to be home this year. I chose not to turn off my lights. I love seeing the kids. Our Church always has a Harvest Festival--which is an alternative to Halloween. Most of our church is usually involved. I just happened to sit out this year. This is just an opinion, but I think coming to the door and making a statement of faith, then turning away little kids and children can be percevied as very negative to the "unwashed" masses. Even if done respectfully and nicely, I just don't think that leaves _most_ Children, who cannot and do not process and understand all the good reasons why you choose not to pass candy out, with a positive view of our faith. I think a better option is to turn down the lights and not come to the door at all, as most here have chosen to do. Another Idea is to pass out some kind of gospel tract, along with candy. God's message can be shared, and those children who have frequented your house will associate you, with not only candy, but with the positive message of the gospel as well.
> 
> In all respect, I hope that makes sense. Just a thought.



That's what we do and did. I started Last year and had tons of kids and teens, we gave them candy with little pocket testaments in the bundle. This year we only had eight kids, they must of remembered from last year.  The upside is we have lots of candy left this year


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## ChristopherPaul (Nov 1, 2006)

historyb said:


> That's what we do and did. I started Last year and had tons of kids and teens, we gave them candy with little pocket testaments in the bundle. This year we only had eight kids, they must of remembered from last year.  The upside is we have lots of candy left this year




Not to get too far off topic, but has anyone had any experience with these pocket testaments ever being used or being at all proactive?

I never read them and assume the non-christians don't either. Plus what good is partial revelation without a guide?


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## Civbert (Nov 1, 2006)

Why not hand out tracts and candy. You might get a family to attend church and who knows, next year they my decide not to do Halloween. 

Me in the kids hit the streets. We had a princess, the "good" witch from Wizard of Oz, and a bumble bee. I think they bagged enough candy to keep me happy 'till next year.


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## Kevin (Nov 1, 2006)

ChristopherPaul said:


> Not to get too far off topic, but has anyone had any experience with these pocket testaments ever being used or being at all proactive?
> 
> I never read them and assume the non-christians don't either. Plus what good is partial revelation without a guide?



Yes, I know a guy who came to faith in Christ after reading a tract left in a library book. Not the same as a pocket testament but it seems to me that that would be better.

As we used to say in politics "Don't make the perfect the enemy of the good".


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## historyb (Nov 1, 2006)

ChristopherPaul said:


> Not to get too far off topic, but has anyone had any experience with these pocket testaments ever being used or being at all proactive?
> 
> I never read them and assume the non-christians don't either. Plus what good is partial revelation without a guide?



These aren't the ones the giedons hand out, these are from here. I read them and gave on to my family there a lot like a tract, they have all that in there plus the gospel of John. I leve them at the College I go to and I have seen others read them. By and large maybe people don't, but for the ones that do it's worth it. MHO


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## caddy (Nov 1, 2006)

I still have a pocket testament I read from as a kid. I also still have a tract that I received on the street that I grew up on--from a gentleman visiting houses in the neighborhood. It was not during Halloweeen, but I remember reading it over and over, knowing somehow that I was reading truth but not fully understanding it all. I was an infrequent visitor to a local Methodist Church when I was younger. I received it while I was in the 5th grade. I still have that tract in one of my bibles.  



ChristopherPaul said:


> Not to get too far off topic, but has anyone had any experience with these pocket testaments ever being used or being at all proactive?
> 
> I never read them and assume the non-christians don't either. Plus what good is partial revelation without a guide?


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## gwine (Nov 1, 2006)

caddy said:


> I hear a blue million arguments, mostly good, for all the reasons to not be a participant. When I was 5-6-7-8-9-10, I don't remember anything negative about Halloween, I was just in it for the candy, like most kids. IF some of the kids in my neighborhood associate me with greeting them at the door, passing out candy, that's ok with me. I don't decorate with any of the Halloween decorations. We have a farm house and decorate the front with Mums, Cornstalks, traditional fall stuff--or rather, my wife does.
> 
> http://webpages.charter.net/caddy/album/



In the past we choose to turn off the lights but not to try to make the house so dark that people would think we were not home. Merely having the outside lights off was understood to mean that we were not participating, but if someone came to the house anyway, they got a treat - no hassles. I wonder what kind of a message we send by making it look like we are not home when we really are. This to me is hypocrisy.

This year we left the lights on, and welcomed kids with candy, because I agree with caddy that for young kids that really is what it's all about (sorry Bob, it's not all about the hokey pokey.)


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## caddy (Nov 1, 2006)

Well Godbless you gwine...and God Bless the Kids ! 



gwine said:


> In the past we choose to turn off the lights but not to try to make the house so dark that people would think we were not home. Merely having the outside lights off was understood to mean that we were not participating, but if someone came to the house anyway, they got a treat - no hassles. I wonder what kind of a message we send by making it look like we are not home when we really are. This to me is hypocrisy.
> 
> This year we left the lights on, and welcomed kids with candy, because I agree with caddy that for young kids that really is what it's all about (sorry Bob, it's not all about the hokey pokey.)


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## nicnap (Nov 2, 2006)

I heard one ol' Baptist Preacher say, "I'm so free in Christ, I can sit under a Christmas tree in a halloween costume eating an Easter egg."  

Thought I'd share it...in jest of course.


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## caddy (Nov 2, 2006)

nicnap said:


> I heard one ol' Baptist Preacher say, "I'm so free in Christ, I can sit under a Christmas tree in a halloween costume eating an Easter egg."
> 
> Thought I'd share it...in jest of course.


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## Magma2 (Nov 2, 2006)

CJ_Chelpka said:


> I will answer the door and probably say something like this:
> 
> "Hello! Thanks for visiting but because we are Christians we don't celebrate Halloween. So I don't have any candy for you tonight."
> 
> Then give them an opportunity to respond. A kind of leaving the door open, if you will. But, I won't keep them.




Must work great on those 10 and under. Anyone older and you've got a good TP coming your way.  

in my opinion just keep your light off in the future.


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## QueenEsther (Nov 2, 2006)

I actually wasn't home when it came time for the kids to come around, I was doing kung fu up at the studio.


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## a mere housewife (Nov 3, 2006)

My mom printed up little tracts about 'Reformation Day' (she is very good at explaining things to children) and we stuck those in with the candy. We knew a lot of the kids in our neighborhood very well; had invited them to Bible school etc., - a couple of them had come to church with us - and ignoring them wasn't really an option. 

One year we were absolutely bottomed out on funds and my husband's title company was holding a contest with a fifty dollar prize for the best costume. He walked in as a bunch of grapes (balloons and a fuzzy stalk on his head, two bucks for the materials and a couple hours work) and won the fifty dollars (He wanted to go as the wolf-man: shave his head and plaster the hair all over his face but I didn't think that was worth fifty dollars. Besides he had to spend some time in reception that day). Somehow I don't feel horribly guilty about it. I can always argue that we spoiled the Egyptians.


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## ~~Susita~~ (Nov 3, 2006)

I hid behind a bush with a chainsaw and once we got some kids coming up the walk I'd jump out with it roaring then start screaming... Works every time.



No really. I dressed up as a medieval princess at school then went over to a friend's house for a bit.

But I DO want to try the chainsaw thing... Maybe next year.


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## Gregg (Nov 3, 2006)

As a survivor of a serious chainsaw accident, I don't advocate the use of a saw for pranks.

Just my $.02


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## ~~Susita~~ (Nov 3, 2006)

EEK! Nevermind, then.


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