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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