If you are uncomfortable with celebrating ghosts, skeltons and demons at Halloween, I have some alternative family-friendly fall festivities for you! Before I offer links to other ideas, I will list a few of my own (certainly not original with me) for you to try:
Go to a nursery or craft store and purchase a few fall decoorations your household would enjoy.
Visit your favorite pumpkin or apple picking farm, or try a new location.
Have a fall festival potluck of seasonal stews with family and friends, then vote on the best one.
A week before Halloween, visit a different coffee shop each day, and try their pumpkin/spice drinks and treats. Have each family member vote on their favorite and post a photo (if comfortable) on social media.
Why not share your fun alternatives to Halloween on social media as well? It might give your friends something to consider for next year!
Have a s’mores-fest over a backyard firepit, or go to a local park with facilities.
Take a walk around the neighborhood and start a conversation with your kids.
- What are the decorations telling us?
- What does scripture say about death and demons?
- How should we decorate next year?
- Carry Halloween tracts with you in case the homeowners come out to talk. Possibly interview them about their decorations? https://www.christianbook.com/page/church-supplies/tracts/halloween-tracts
- Consider sharing these tracts with your neighbor kids along with a nice (and maybe healthier) alternative when kids come trick or treating.
Take a family trip to Trader Joe’s and have each member pick out one fall snack or food product to try at home. Then vote for your favorite!
If your kids are Anne of Green Gables fans, maybe something from Rachel Dodge will resonate.
Watch a few classic British mysteries like Father Brown and Miss Marple. Play the game of Clue, or other games of mystery.
Lifeway has a few Halloween alternatives for the family HERE. How about a Reformation party?
Some ideas for seniors or grandparents to try with kids in their lives.
Here is another article about Fall alternatives to Halloween
I hope this post has given you some good substitutes for the sometimes dreaded Halloween season. Oh, and since this is a writer’s blog, how about challenging yourself with a fall writing prompt? You’ll find a few HERE
How about you? Have any ideas of your own to share with us? Please do in the comments below. . .
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Wonderful post! There’s nothing for a Christian to celebrate with witches, ghouls and goblins etc. Thank you for these wonderful alternatives.
You are totally welcome, Janice!!
Jarm, thank you so much for sharing these wonderful ideas. We haven’t had kids coming to our home on Halloween lately, but we always used to give them children’s gospel tracts with their candy when they came. Sometimes we’d plan an evangelistic Thanksgiving party for a few weeks after Halloween, and we’d hand out invitations for our party when we gave them their candy and tracts. Some years we had a neighborhood Good News Club in the fall and we asked our Good News Club kids to dress up like Bible characters. Then we took them door to door in our neighborhood, and instead of saying “Trick or treat” when people opened their doors, we said, “We have a treat for you.” Then we’d hand the neighbors a bag of candy with a gospel of John and a tract. We wanted the kids to learn that there were many ways to share Jesus with their neighbors.
These are great ideas too, Esther. Thanks.
Thanks, Jarm! Great post.
Such great links and resources, Jarm!!! Thanks so much for sharing these. And Esther, love your ideas, too!
I clicked on your link to Rachel Dodge. It was a delight to see her book activitiy ideas. Thanks for sharing!