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One reason why we do not celebrate Halloween. Is because I didn’t grow up celebrating Halloween. In fact, my parents had never even heard of it when they first came to North America. Back in the USSR, Halloween simply wasn’t a thing—so you can imagine their shock when they saw front yards covered in skeletons, tombstones, and cobwebs for the first time! Growing up, October 31st usually meant our house lights were off, and we quietly pretended we weren’t home.

Now as a mom, I’ve had to navigate how to approach Halloween subject from a biblical perspective—as children see all the decorations they naturally have questions, and even though it is not part of our culture, it is our family’s choice not to celebrate. Explaining to them that choice is essential, for them to understand instead of “just something we don’t do.”

In this post, I want to share how we can talk to our kids about Halloween why we do not celebrate Halloween — whether it’s something that has never been part of your life or something you once enjoyed but have since chosen to step away from. We’ll look at the history of Halloween in a way kids can understand, what the Bible says, how to respond kindly to others, and what our family chooses to do (and not do) instead. I’ve also included book recommendations, other helpful blog posts, and a few free printables to help you have these conversations at home.

1. Brief History of Halloween for Kids (with Christian Perspective)

Halloween started long ago as a festival that focused on spirits and the dead. Over time it became more about costumes and candy, but the roots still remind us that not all celebrations are meant for God’s glory.

Every year we see pumpkins, costumes, candy, spooky decorations, and “trick-or-treating.” But where did it come from? Here’s a simple version for our children:

A long time ago—over 2,000 years ago—people in parts of Europe, especially Ireland and Scotland, celebrated a festival called Samhain (pronounced sow-in), celebrated around October 31 to mark the end of summer and the beginning of winter. People believed the “veil” between the living and the dead was thinner at that time. (Here)
Later, when Christianity spread through Europe, the church created All Saints’ Day on November 1st to honor faithful believers who had died.
The name “Halloween” comes from “All Hallows’ Eve” (the evening before All Saints’ Day on November 1) — a Christian observance that remembers the saints (here
In Ireland, people carved turnips and placed a candle inside. This came from a story about “Jack of the Lantern,” a man who wandered with a glowing light.
Over time many traditions blended together: bonfires, costumes to scare off spirits, turning turnips into lanterns, going door to door and so forth. (Here)
When families moved to America, they discovered pumpkins—a bright orange fruit God created during harvest season—and began carving those instead because they were bigger and easier.
Today, we can enjoy pumpkins the way God intended—for decorating, cooking, or science fun (like pumpkin fizzing and seed counting!)—without giving them a dark meaning.
In modern times, Halloween has largely become a secular celebration: costumes, candy, fun – but also a lot of darkness themes (witches, ghosts, death). (Here)

You can purchase a printable story book version to read with your children here. Russian Version (coming soon) .

Understanding where Halloween came from helps our children see that it’s not “just candy and costumes”—there’s a deeper story behind it.

So while many families have fun with it, as Christian parents we ask: “Is this celebration aligned with what God calls us to?” Let’s explore.

2. What God’s Word Helps Us Understand

As believers, we look to Scripture to guide our hearts, even for holidays and traditions. Here are some key ideas:

Light vs Darkness: We are called to be a light of the world. For example: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8)
Not conforming to the world: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Romans 12:
Avoiding what is harmful: While the Bible doesn’t mention Halloween by name, it does speak about avoiding “the fruitless deeds of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11) and not participating in practices rooted in occult or fear.
Dark Spirits Ephesians 6:12 says: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Magic, witchcraft, Sorcery: Deuteronomy 18:10–12 — “Let no one be found among you who… practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft… or casts spells… Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.”
Focus on what honors God: Philippians 4:8 — “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely… think about such things.”

When we open our hearts to things that celebrate darkness, even just for “fun,” we can unknowingly invite thoughts, fears, or influences that aren’t from God. It’s like opening a little door that lets the wrong kind of things in — and we want our homes to be filled with peace and light instead, so we don’t celebrate Halloween for this reason.

Some traditions and symbols may seem harmless on the outside, but can have spiritual roots that don’t bring glory to God. Things like witchcraft, spells, ghosts, or glorifying fear are tied to the enemy’s work — not God’s.

3) Why Our Family Doesn’t Celebrate Halloween

We do not celebrate Halloween because it has firstly never been part of our Slavic culture / heritage. When our parents came to America they were shocked at all the scary and gory decorations. It just has never been part of our lives and we don’t intend to make it part of our lives or even find an alternative.

We recognise that many of the common Halloween themes (evil spirits, fear of death, ghosts, darkness) are not what we want our children meditating on and does not align with the Scripture. We prefer to focus on Christ’s victory over darkness, fear, and death.

Living in a culture where this is the norm, to celebrate Halloween, it becomes a choice to not join in, and as well serves as a teaching opportunity: “Here’s why we choose differently. Here’s what we believe. Here’s how we live.” As the Bible says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Romans 12: )

We aim to protect little hearts, but not hide them from the world — we teach them that there is a world out there, and we are called to be salt & light.

4. What We Do Instead (and don’t do)

While we don’t do anything instead of Halloween, and I feel this is right, we do have some teaching moments and activities we can do this time of the year to help them understand why and why not:

Harvest celebration: Pumpkin-picking, apple cider, baking, exploring fall colours, giving thanks.
Reflection & discussion: Have a family talk: “What does being a child of light mean to you? How can we share God’s light in our neighbourhood this fall?”
Make yard signs “we do not celebrate Halloween”
pumpkin gospel objective lesson (below)
Reformation Day (The Good Book Mom has an awesome lesson plan. Find it here )

5. The Pumpkin Gospel

You can watch The Pumpkin Gospel video.here

Even though we do not celebrate Halloween, we still enjoy pumpkins in our home — not as spooky decorations, but as a reminder of what God does in our hearts!

Here’s a beautiful fall activity that helps children picture how Jesus changes us from the inside out:

You’ll need:

One pumpkin🔪
A spoon for scooping (parents handle carving)🕯
A small battery candle or tealight
As you do each step, read and talk about the verses together.

Steps

Step 1: Choose Your Pumpkin
Explain that just like we picked our pumpkin, God chooses us and loves us deeply.
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” — John 15:16
Cut Off the Top and Scoop Out the Inside
When we look inside the pumpkin, it’s full of seeds, pulp, and goo — just like our hearts can be full of sin and selfishness.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God.” — Psalm 51:10
As you scoop, remind your kids that Jesus cleans out all the yucky stuff when we ask Him into our lives.
Step 3: Carve a Happy Face or cross
God carves us or creates us new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Place the Candle Inside and Turn Off the Lights
When the light shines through the pumpkin’s face, talk about how Jesus fills us with His light so we can shine for others to see.
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” — Matthew 5:14–16
Display Your Pumpkin of Light!
Place it somewhere visible, maybe with a little note card that says:
“Let your light shine before others!”

Afterward, invite your children to draw or write about the experience:

“What did Jesus clean out of my heart?”
“How can I shine His light this week?”

You can also get my printable book and read with your kids (here)

6. Helping Kids Talk About It With Friends

Sometimes kids ask their friends or get asked “why don’t you celebrate Halloween?” Below are some graceful responses you can role-play with your children:

“We do not celebrate Halloween because…..“

In our family we’ve decided to focus on being lights for God instead of darkness, so our October looks a little different.
We believe Jesus has already walked through death and defeated it — so we don’t want to celebrate fear or ghosts but hope and life.”
We do not want anything to do with darkness and evil.
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Halloween celebrates dark & scary even if some try to make it cute and fun.
Encourage kids: It’s okay to say what your family believes, but always with kindness and respect. No judgment. Just explanation.

6. Recommended Books & Resources

Here are some books and websites you (as a parent/homeschooler) can use to further explore and share with your children.

Books for Parents & Kids:

Mommy, Why Don’t We  Celebrate Halloween? by Eleazar Emmanuel — a kid-friendly Christian perspective on Halloween.
My list of clean fall themed books can be found here
The little pilgrims big journey set (here)
History of Halloween For Kids (printable book here)
The Pumpkin Gospel (here)

Websites/Articles for Further Reading:

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?” by Focus on the Family — a thoughtful Christian parent-perspective (here)
Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?” by GotQuestions.org — covers origins and Christian responses. (Here)
The History of Halloween for Kids” at BedtimeHistoryStories.com — great for sharing the history with children. (Here)
Christian Perspectives on Halloween: Participation, Principles & Conscience” at FoundationWorldview.com — deep dive for parents. Here

7. Free Worksheets for Download

Here are three printable ideas you might include in your Family talk

Bible Verse Copywork Sheets
Fall kindergarten / first grade worksheets (coming soon)
Coloring pages (coming soon)
Reflection Journal page (coming soon)

Closing Encouragement

Thank you for reading this and for letting your children see that faith is everywhere — including in the traditions we choose (and don’t choose). As homeschooling moms (and dads) we have the wonderful privilege of shaping not just how our children learn, but why we do what we do from an early age with minimal outside influence