Like most holidays, kids look forward to the grand gesture that is Halloween. The opportunity to dress up as your favorite character, walk through your neighborhood with your friends and ask people for free candy. It's the one night you get a free pass to do all the things your parents told you not to do. However, that was not the case for all kids. If you grew up in a Christian household, there was no walking the streets, trick or treating or overall, Halloween for you.
If you grew up as one of those kids, then this one is for you.
1. The infamous "Hallelujah Night"
Maybe your parents were one of the few that let you slide out with your friends for Halloween, but most Christian parents make you slide your behind straight to church. Also known as "harvest festival," hallelujah night is an alternative to trick or treating that still allows kids to have fun and get candy. Nowadays kids have "trunk or treat." All of that is great, but I just wanted to be normal like my friends.
ex. "Want to go trick or treating?" "Sorry, I can't, I have to go to hallelujah night."
2. Not getting to trick or treat
Since we're on the subject, so many of us never got to go trick or treating…like ever. I've actually personally never been trick or treating in my life. On top of your parents being scared to let you get candy from strangers, trick or treating was seen as celebrating the holiday and there was NONE of that.
3. Getting a lecture on the origin of Halloween every year
Every year, I tried my hand in attempting to celebrate Halloween like a normal kid only to be met with a lecture of why that wasn't going to happen. "Pagan holiday," "hallow's eve," and "the devil's birthday" were all frequently used. My feeble attempts were always shot down, and I spent another year at hallelujah night.
4. Never getting to participate in the scarier parts of the festivities
Ain't no goons and goblins, everything is dressed up to be fall festivities. No haunted houses, no scary stories, but you can have this harvest hayride. A couple of scarecrows was as spooky as things were getting.
5. No realizing people actually really love Halloween
It wasn't until college that I realized people really treat Halloween like a serious holiday. Now, I use it as a time to wear a costume, but it's really some people's favorite time of year. That possibility was stripped from me at an early age.
6. Getting tracts and little Bibles with your candy
For Christians, Halloween is the ultimate time to witness to people. At Hallelujah night, don't think you're just gonna get candy without getting the Word of God. You'll be sifting through your candy and find at least a couple Bible tracts. When I got to middle school and decided I wasn't doing hallelujah night anymore, I had to pass out candy with my mom who was definitely the tract with the candy lady.
7. Judgement Houses
These are the Christian alternative to haunted houses. One time, my youth group went to one and I brought my boo thinking it was going to be scary which would give me an excuse to be close to him. It was not scary, at least not in that way. It was scary in an "Oh no, I'm going to hell" type of way. They can be good witnessing methods, I suppose, but they are not date friendly.
What are some things you did as a Christian kid on Halloween? Share your memories below.
