Fall Harvest Festival

Many Christians make the decision not to celebrate the holiday called Halloween. Feeling that it is based on pagan values, they search for an alternative celebration on that day. They make the decision not to focus on the negativity of this holiday, believing the holiday promotes darkness and evil. They accomplish this by turning the day into a positive, educational and Christ centered experience.

Though there are many available options, a favorite between churches and families is to hold what has been known as a Fall Harvest Festival or carnival. Based on positive values, this party has grown in popularity over the years.

Whether planned as a church wide event or as smaller home gathering, by collecting some suggestions and creativity the fun can be limitless! Here are some ideas and suggestions to get started, but feel free to incorporate your own as well.

One variation is to make this into a carnival atmosphere. Unless you have a large piece of property to host this on, this may be an event to get your church involved. With some time allotted for careful planning, this can be an overwhelming success and a lot of fun.

One idea would be to contact groups within your church and ask them if they would like to host a booth at the carnival. Let each group decide a specific theme for their booth. If they would like to they can dress according to the theme or with a fall or carnival related costume. You can expand this idea by having crafting and baking contests, pumpkin tossing, sack races, games etc. Award prizes for the winners!

You can easily make this into a church fundraiser by charging a small fee for admission and games, splitting the proceeds between the church groups that participated. Don’t stop there though, incorporate different ideas as there are countless alternatives, be creative! Everyone there is bound to have a wonderful, positive time.

If you weren’t thinking about something so big and elaborate, that’s just fine. With a little planning, this can also be done on a smaller scale right in your own home. Send out invitations possibly shaped as a leaf or pumpkin to friends and family. Activities that you may want to incorporate may include time for fellowship, fall decorating, pumpkin carving to just name a few. You can ask for donations to your church or church group, but it does not have to be a fundraiser. Just time together, having fun and praising and worshiping God is important enough.

If you are one of the many Christians who have made the decision not to celebrate Halloween, you can now take comfort in the fact that there are other options. These are just two ideas, with a bit of creativity there can be many more choices. The most important thing to remember is the fact that you have turned this holiday into a positive one which focuses on our Lord. Have fun and enjoy the day together with those you love and with God.

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Christian Alternatives to Halloween

As a proud and faithful Christian, many of us decide not to celebrate Halloween. Though in most instances this is not a difficult decision for a Christian adult, it can be an extremely difficult decision for a child. To see their non Christian friends with a sack of treats and dressed in what they perceive to be as a fun costume, they may not understand the reason behind not celebrating. Thankfully, there are some Christian based alternatives that can be fun for the entire family!

Your main priority here is too develop a positive tradition with no negativity. A great idea instead of a Halloween party is to a host a Fall or Autumn celebration. This celebration, welcoming in the autumn season can be held at someone’s home or in church. If there is an interest in wearing costumes, focus on positive people in the Bible. The day can be spent in fellowship with others while you decorate and craft.

Another Christian based alternative would be a celebration focusing on the pumpkin! Even better, this can be a pumpkin fundraiser with proceeds going to your church’s youth group. Ideas include, selling pumpkins and pumpkin pies and contests for who carves the best pumpkin.

This time of year also provides a perfect time to evangelize others. Dress in a positive character from the Bible and instead of going door to door for treats, pass out information on how others can be saved (of course you can accept a piece of candy as a thank you!).

Lastly, a Christian alternative to Halloween does not have to be a loud party. Invite a few friends and family over for some quiet time. You can all fellowship together as Christians, and at the same time you can feel the Lord’s love surround you all. Include sharing some pumpkin pie and prayer and praise time.

Just because you and your family have made the decision not to celebrate Halloween, doesn’t mean that you can’t have a positive and good time together instead. These are just a few ideas on what to do instead of celebrating Halloween. Be aware that there are probably countless others. Sit down with your loved ones and ask them what they think they would like to do. It really doesn’t matter what you do, just as long as you and your family are together. Remember to also spend time praising and thanking our Lord for all that he has done in our lives. Then you can be sure that you will all have a perfect day together.

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