Fright Night, Fun Night

Erik, Frey, Freya, and Faramir sorting
out the pumpkin seeds.

(There are several good links to articles and a podcast in this post for futher reading/listening.  I've also posted them at the end of the article. Enjoy!)

Our pumpkins are carved, the candy is purchased, the last feather has been hot-glued into place...it must be Halloween!

Of course, Halloween can be a bit of a minefield for Christians these days...with mines mostly laid by other Christians.  So, I understand if you feel some real apprehension about how to celebrate.  And if you are particularly sensitive to scary images or have issues with the occult, then it makes sense to find an alternative for your family.

Artemesia, Freya and Frey
working on their jack o-lantern
designs

But if you enjoy celebrating a day of imagination and fun, then let's frolic on Halloween!  It's like one big scary, fairy tale story...a great way to face our fears and laugh.

Most of you probably have your own Halloween traditions, and I'd love to hear them (comments!)!  Please share!  Here's what we enjoy:

• Selecting a pumpkin, creating a design and daddy cuts it out.  Then we turn out all the lights and light the candle.

• Toasting the pumpkin seeds.  This one takes some work!  
1. Seperate the seeds from the pumpkin pulp and give them a rinse.  Let them dry a bit (30 minutes or so) in a colander.  
2. Spread them on a cookie sheet and put in a 200 degree oven.  Leave for several hours (4 hours is about right).  Turn off the oven and leave overnight.  They may need more time, so check them in the morning.  They should be crunchy more than chewy.  
3. Once dry, coat in vegetable oil (olive or whatever you like) and season.  We use Old Bay, but even just salt will be good.
4. Cook again at 250 for about 30 minutes.

The final pumpkins!  Frey's drawing
was the inspiration for the one on the right.
Artemesia and Faramir did the Studio
Ghibli cat on the left.

• Trick or Treating, of course!  Then we come home and swap candy and enjoy a belly-full before bed.  My girls are pretty good at regulating and don't drive me crazy about the candy, but in the past when all the kids were little I had a three-day rule.  They had three days of unrestrained access (they had to have a good breakfast first) and then all leftover candy went in the trash.

• This year I'm adding a new tradition: pumpkin spice latte.  I do enjoy them, but only in small doses.  So, Halloween seems like an appropriate day to enjoy my ONE pumpkin spice latte for the year.

Artemesia and Friend
(Cheshire Cat and Katniss)

• This is a great day to talk about heroes of the faith - saints!  What are your beliefs, which saints might be appropriate to learn more about as a family?  Maybe choose a few to learn more about for the year ahead.  Some your kids might enjoy: St Francis, St Martin, St Nicholas, St Brigid, St David, St George, St Patrick.

All Saints and All Souls Days
Of course the next two days are for remembering our loved ones who have passed on.  If you have access to your loved ones' burial place, Nov 1st or 2nd is a good day to go visit and clean it up a bit.  Perhaps add pictures of loved ones to the mantle or in another place of honor and tell some fun stories and memories.  This year we'll be remembering my grandmother who passed away last year in October, the day before her 100th birthday.

Friend and Friend
(Malificent and Misty
Copeland's "Firebird")

Books your family might enjoy for Halloween:  
Gibbons, Halloween is...
Dr. Seuss, What Was I Afraid Of?
Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are
Willliams, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything


Links from above:

a podcast from the Anselm Society (for Christian Arts): Welcome, Great Pumpkin

a classic article from The Internet Monk: The Great Pumpkin Proposes a Toast

another article from Anglican Pastor: What is All Saints Day?

Freya as a princess; Frey as a
Stormtrooper

Time to go run and get my one and only pumpkin spice latte of the year!