Happy All Hallows Eve

”Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thess. 5:22 KJV)

While speaking with one of my grandchildren, who was excited about Halloween, I told him that Grandma and I don’t celebrate it, and we try to avoid it as much as possible. He looked surprised and asked me why. I explained that Halloween is another example of how Satan has taken something that once belonged to Christians and twisted it into something dark—just as he’s done with other holy days (that’s what the word holiday means).

Take Easter, for example

Instead of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, the focus has shifted to the Easter bunny and baskets of candy. And at Christmas, instead of honoring the birth of our Savior, much of the world centers on Santa Claus and gifts. Sadly, most people don’t realize that Halloween actually began as a Christian observance called All Hallows Eve—the evening before All Saints’ Day—a time for believers to remember and honor saints and martyrs who had gone to be with the Lord.

But over time, that day has been turned into a celebration of horror, fear, and death. Today, Halloween is associated with witches, ghosts, skeletons, and all kinds of dark imagery. Even the jack-o-lantern has its roots in an old Irish legend about “Stingy Jack,” a drunkard who tricked the devil and was doomed to wander the earth without hope. Now, people celebrate with costumes, frightening decorations, and the familiar words, “Trick or treat”—a phrase that literally means give me something, or I’ll do something bad to you. Like Christmas and Easter, it has also become commercialized, profitable, and widely accepted.

What do we do?

Personally, we choose not to participate in Halloween. We don’t decorate for it or take part in its activities. Instead, we enjoy the beauty of fall colors and neutral seasonal decorations. We focus on gratitude, family, and the upcoming Thanksgiving season. And most importantly, we remember that many people simply don’t know the spiritual roots of Halloween—they’re just having fun. That gives us an opportunity to respond with love and understanding, not judgment.

What the Bible says

The Bible clearly instructs us to “abstain from all appearance of evil.” That’s not always easy, especially when reminders of it are everywhere—from store aisles to neighborhood yards. Yet we can still make choices that honor God. Like the Apostle Paul, who used the presence of idols in Athens as an opportunity to share the Gospel (Acts 17), we can use even dark times or worldly traditions to point others toward Christ, the true light.

Therefore

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Cor. 13:6)

“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isa. 5:20)

The promise

“He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil—he will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; his water will be sure. Your eyes will behold the King in His beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar.” (Isa. 33:15–17 ESV)