In the years before I had children, I explored several strategies for dealing with Halloween. These included attempts at abstention, replacement and even a mild form of protest. The point of exploration that I am now at, with my wife and kids as participants, is the full celebration of All Hallows Eve. Here’s why we now celebrate Halloween:
1. The historic roots of Halloween are very similar to both Christmas and Easter. There is a complex collision of ideas, cultures, calendars, theology and marketing involved in all three events. Like Christmas and Easter, that collision includes pre-Christian ritual, divine symbolism and cultural imperialism. Cultural imperialism is a big, strong and ugly version of cultural engagement. And cultural engagement is at the very heart of my Church’s vision (but it’s small, gentle and hopefully not too ugly).
2. Halloween is one of the best times of the year to relate to those you live amongst. How many other times do you go to the doors of dozens of people in your community and greet them? How many other days do they come to your house? Missing this relational opportunity because of some dark stuff doesn’t synergize with a savior who visited boozy, prostitute laden parties and entered into discussions in the middle of the marketplace.
3. Halloween is a tremendous tool of catechism: A stylized human face with light streaming out of it from a flame deep within. Garments representing good and evil spiritual entities, historical figures, heroes and villains. Giving something sweet to anyone who comes to your door without getting anything in return. Without even getting to the great-people-of faith aspects of All Saints Eve, there are a lot of tools to teach my Children about spiritual realities and Christian conduct.
4. Halloween is fun. I know that is a pretty weak argument on the surface, but bear with me. I remember being shocked and feeling great sympathy as a child when I discovered some of the children I went to school with had to skip out on holiday celebrations and their birthdays because they were Jehovah’s Witnesses. The witness I received from that experience was that Jehovah was a killjoy. Contrarily, I now know that he is the joy-bringer. I want to share that joy with those who don’t know it. I want to celebrate those aspects of their lives that are joyful already. And I want my children to learn to have a good time doing that.
Yes, there are evil dimensions to some Halloween celebrations. We need to be aware of this, pray and keep our kids safe. There are evil dimensions to the way other holidays are celebrated too. The increase in drunk driving, greed, depression and even suicides associated with Christmas does not make me throw away the celebration of the incarnation. Neither does the occult rituals that happen around the Spring equinox (Easter season). Devil worship and horror movies will not make me trash All Hallows Eve. My kids don’t dress as devils or devil worshippers. Interestingly, only one Child who came to the Halloween party my church sponsored at a secular Children’s indoor playground dressed as anything that could be construed as evil (a very kindly-looking witch). And most of their parent’s didn’t know the party was church-sponsored when they showed up!
I respect and understand the reasoning of many Christians who abstain from Halloween or make up an alternative. I’m not trying to force my perspective on you if you’re one of those people. I’m just sharing why my family celebrates Halloween and asking for your respect and understanding in return. I’m more than happy to talk about it, even if you strongly disagree with me.
All the best,
Rob
I'm afraid. 
You know the Star Wars trash compactor scene? When, after R2D2 succeeds in stopping the walls from crushing our heroes, C3P0 hears their whooping celebratory sounds coming over the intercom and concludes that their dying?
I'm a truant. I promised a contest with a funky prize months ago ... and it's not here yet. I have great toilet-piñata footage begging to be cut into a highlight reel. And I have a handful of embryonic essays awaiting completion.
Yesterday I filled a large jerry can of gas for my mower, two bottles of propane and then filled the rest of the trunk with booze for the Canada Day party tomorrow. And then it dawned on me as I was about to drive home, that this would be one very bad day to get rear-ended (Although, I did happen to buy a fire extinguisher on the same trip).
Emily is really givin' 'er to earn the title of "The King's Bridge Band's Biggest (smallest) Fan." You should see her dance without her eyes closed! Check out this video from earlier tonight.
Last Sunday we had a pretty meagre crowd at our event at The House Cafe. But, once again, I took the stage to talk about pop culture, life, big questions and Jesus to people who may or may not give a rip about any of those things. And people left. It's not an infrequent event for people to leave, but it deflated me more than usual. 
My one year blogging anniversary passed (back in late January) without mention. As you can tell by the dearth of entries, the first three months of the year have been rather busy for Stacey, the girls and I.
Yesterday I did a “vanity” search (cuz you know “gluttony” alone isn’t going to maintain top-tier degenerate status for me). Buoyed by the high search ranking King’s Bridge is enjoying on Google, I typed in “Rob Scott Calgary.” And lo and behold (we would all do well to spend more time loing and beholding) this blog popped up as the number one site (out of just shy of a million sites). 
Skiing was great, the room was great ... and the past ten years with one heck of an incredible woman have been really, really great (and the past three with two slightly unstable, but really wonderful, little women has been great too!)
PS: Though taken shortly before Christmas, the pic above isn't exactly Christmasy or New Yearsy. I thought I'd drop it here, however, because Kaylee's ability to defy real-world physics finally convinced me that we do in fact live in the Matrix.
Inspired by the two frame per second brain-death-inducing power of "Mighty Hercules," Orvil the Orange is back to vie for the title of crappiest-animation-ever.
A couple of days ago toddlerX2 climbed up their bookshelf to the very top shelf during "nap" time. Once up there, they retrieved a bottle of Vaseline and proceeded to use all of it's contents on themselves from head to foot. They used most of it on their hair! After two showers and numerous strategies, we finally discovered that corn starching their hair before showering them works.
On Sunday we were visiting the church we attend when we are out at Rosen Lake. It's a Baptist Church with a fair bit of gray hair. Just before communion was served, Kaylee sat on my lap and began playing with the buttons of my shirt. The Pastor started to lead the congregation in prayer, so I closed my eyes. When I opened them, my entire shirt was unbuttoned and open! And the Pastor and two of his henchmen where up front looking back at me! (Thanks Kaylee).
In the years before I had children, I explored several strategies for dealing with Halloween. These included attempts at abstention, replacement and even a mild form of protest. The point of exploration that I am now at, with my wife and kids as participants, is the full celebration of All Hallows Eve. Here’s why we now celebrate Halloween:
