Comments on: My Humble Take On The Hot Halloween Debate https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html Tue, 05 Nov 2013 04:54:37 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 By: Connie https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html/comment-page-1#comment-378143 Tue, 05 Nov 2013 04:54:37 +0000 http://kimandjason.com/blog/?p=21383#comment-378143 Great post Kim!!!
I admire your strength for writing it and your courage to share it with your readers. Your family sure has some fun traditions going and it sounds like you are recouping a portion of your childhood in doing so. Thanks again for sharing, I really enjoyed reading it :)

]]> By: ginny wilkerson https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html/comment-page-1#comment-378088 Fri, 01 Nov 2013 04:34:02 +0000 http://kimandjason.com/blog/?p=21383#comment-378088 Hey! I’m just going to be one who is different! (I’m one of the 30 something percent that do not think we should celebrate Halloween). It all has to do with celebrations in general. What are celebrations and what are collective celebrations?
There are cultural celebrations that represent history, such as President’s day, or even Thanksgiving day (which I know many families that are not even “thankful” on that day). There’s also birthdays and anniversaries, etc.but most of the time, it’s usually a day to 1)eat 2)to sing songs 3)to dance 4)to join family5)to act out an event by doing a play or something like that,6)to drink strong beverages or 7) to specifically have activities just for children and make them the center of attention and festivities.
I like costumes ahd it’s really fun to dress up and I like the idea of getting out in the neighborhood, which is what sort of characterizes Halloween as being fun.
I think if Christians can’t think of anyway to do get out into the community, we are borrowing from a pagan culture because we don’t have any ideas of our own. We must not be very creative or maybe we’ve been duped. Do you think maybe God has a plan for holidays and celebrations like He has a plan for salvation? I think that’s why there are SEVEN feasts mentioned in the Bible and they start in the spring and go through the fall and teach awesome truths about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Why not do what God says. He has really great ideas for getting folks together.

]]> By: Kim Kotecki https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html/comment-page-1#comment-378076 Thu, 31 Oct 2013 13:18:23 +0000 http://kimandjason.com/blog/?p=21383#comment-378076 In reply to Jen.

I LOVE that you guys march to the beat of YOUR family, without trying to force anything. Who says you HAVE to love Halloween?! Or dress up? Thanksgiving is SO overlooked – as the Christmas trees up so early. Have a great Taco Bell night!!! Thanks for sharing this!!

]]> By: Kim Kotecki https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html/comment-page-1#comment-378075 Thu, 31 Oct 2013 13:15:47 +0000 http://kimandjason.com/blog/?p=21383#comment-378075 In reply to Paula.

I LOVE this… “Until further notice celebrate everything.” What a good reminder!!!! Hope you have a great Halloween… and EVERYDAY!

]]> By: Kim Kotecki https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html/comment-page-1#comment-378074 Thu, 31 Oct 2013 13:13:45 +0000 http://kimandjason.com/blog/?p=21383#comment-378074 In reply to Marilyn S..

Hi Marilyn,
Thanks so much for clarifying this!!! Honoring the dead is a beautiful tradition. Funny how’s it’s gotten turned around. Hope you have a great Halloween today!!! :) Kim

]]> By: Debbie https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html/comment-page-1#comment-378058 Wed, 30 Oct 2013 13:42:43 +0000 http://kimandjason.com/blog/?p=21383#comment-378058 Kim,
Thank you for saying what I have thought for year about how the fun of all the holiday are being shown as being negative and we all use to enjoy the different times of year so much as children. Hopefully people will read this and remember the fun they had as children and let the new generation enjoy the holidays too.

]]> By: Libby https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html/comment-page-1#comment-378021 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 22:03:54 +0000 http://kimandjason.com/blog/?p=21383#comment-378021 Great post, Kim and great responses with neat ideas. Halloween is not my favorite holiday as an adult but I loved it as a child. I was just telling my husband I’m not looking forward to trick or treating this year. It seems like a lot of work and I’m not feeling very festive. Thanks for reminding me why I should put in the effort– to have fun and make memories!

]]> By: Jen https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html/comment-page-1#comment-378004 Sun, 27 Oct 2013 23:36:30 +0000 http://kimandjason.com/blog/?p=21383#comment-378004 This post was such a personal share, thank you. A good reminder to celebrate and love the focus on celebrating as a family. Which is interesting to me because we just are not really Halloween folks.

My boys decided two years ago to no longer trick or treat. Living in the woods of camp we have never had a neighborhood. Also my husband growing up in New Zealand did not have a history of Halloween either. We had visited some local churches trunk or treats and some years we visited family and enjoyed their neighborhoods but it has never been a big tradition for us. My youngest at most has visited 15 houses in his 11 years. He is cool with it. Lots of fun costumes, just not into trick or treating. He usually gives the candy to his brother. He also declared two years ago he would rather have family Taco Bell night. So we did, in costume. Our favorite part of Halloween is decorating pumpkins and we have enjoyed costumes throughout the years. But it just wasn’t our holiday. My boys still are allowed to dress up at school but it is not their thing. We did finger mustaches last year. But that was it. And they were cool with it.
We are Thanksgiving folks. We love it! A holiday focused on family, food and fun. We love laughing together around the kitchen table. It’s just us. I am good with it. Sometimes I worry because I wonder if my boys are missing out on something. But then I stop and realize they are happy kids.

This weekend we were shopping at Walmart and the boys saw Christmas stuff out. They were mad. They like November, Thanksgiving and enjoying the fall season. We are weird in our own wonderful way. And I have learned to break the rules a bit and let that be my focus.
Jen

]]> By: Paula https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html/comment-page-1#comment-378000 Sun, 27 Oct 2013 16:56:21 +0000 http://kimandjason.com/blog/?p=21383#comment-378000 I am a parent who decided to discontinue Halloween celebrations on the same grounds as Kim’s parents. Our son who is now 15 yrs old never dressed up or went trick-or-treating. But that changed in October 2008 when I nearly died.

For some for some reason I ordered a decorative plate that says, “Until further notice celebrate everything” I had ordered and wrapped it for Christmas. I had forgotten the plate until I opened the untagged gift on Christmas morning.

Now we celebrate everything, even Halloween.

]]> By: Marilyn S. https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html/comment-page-1#comment-377996 Sun, 27 Oct 2013 14:12:53 +0000 http://kimandjason.com/blog/?p=21383#comment-377996 Hi Kim, you know how I feel about the ridiculousness of banning Halloween parties in school. What happened to fun for fun’s sake? But I wanted to mention that your wording here “No child ever mentioned Satan or the ‘day of the dead.’ Evil never got brought up” leaves the impression that Day of the Dead is evil and it’s the exact opposite. For anyone not familiar with the custom, in the U.S. Catholic religion, it’s All Saints Day and All Souls Day. In the Mexican culture the days are meant to celebrate their deceased relatives, complete with parades, shrines, and trips to the cemetery where decorations abound. A wonderful way to honor their dead and nothing evil about it.

]]> By: Kim Kotecki https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html/comment-page-1#comment-377993 Sun, 27 Oct 2013 12:35:20 +0000 http://kimandjason.com/blog/?p=21383#comment-377993 In reply to Lynn.

Thanks, Lynn! I’ve heard the argument that “kids can dress up anytime, they don’t need a holiday to allow them to do this.” Honestly, I think that’s pretty lame. There’s something really cool about a collective effort, having your neighbors come to the door in costume, and the excitement that all of it generates. Yes, as families let’s reclaim it for the good that exists and leave the origins in the history books. :)

]]> By: Lynn https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2013-10-26/my-humble-take-on-the-hot-halloween-debate.html/comment-page-1#comment-377991 Sun, 27 Oct 2013 11:38:09 +0000 http://kimandjason.com/blog/?p=21383#comment-377991 Thanks for this, Kim. Dress up and pretend are so much fun. I think Halloween is about as secular a holiday as you can get. So what if it had unhappy origins; let’s pull it into the light and reclaim it for our families for good.

]]>