Thread: Do you regard Oct. 31, Halloween?

How do you spend Oct. 31. Do you regard the day as popular culture does? Do you only regard Reformation Day? Etc.

My kids dress up (this year both my girls are princesses, last year they were tigger and pooh, the year before that my oldest was Yoda, before that she was a hatching chicken).

We go out and get candy. I eat all the candy.

I have a big desk calendar at work. I crossed out the label on Oct 31st and penned in Reformation Day. I also drew a barfy next to United Nations day. Just because someone else celebrates a day or event doesn't mean I have to. No, I don't do Halloween. If a student tells me "Happy Halloween", I respond " see you tomorrow" or wave and say "have fun", but do not return the same greeting.

I dressed up in a Confederate Uniform one year and that really scared some people. I had a big ole Stars and Bars Flag also.

We celebrate the Reformation and remember Luther's 95 thesis. I also hand out gospel tracts to the trick or treaters.

Originally Posted by PuritanCovenanter

I dressed up in a Confederate Uniform one year and that really scared some people. I had a big ole Stars and Bars Flag also.

We celebrate the Reformation and remember Luther's 95 thesis. I also hand out gospel tracts to the trick or treaters.

I celebrate Reformation Day on October 31.

We also acknowledge October 27.
















October 27, 1553 - the burning of Michael Servetus.

Considering the theology of some of our contemporaries, they probably would not have lasted as long as Servetus!

This is my first poll.

Congratulations on your first poll!

We have an empty nest, so there isn't really anything going on around here on that day. If we are going to be home, I'll hand out candy.

It was fun for our sons to dress up when they were little, but by 5th grade or so it was all about candy, so we just pulled the plug on the whole thing. We found that it was a great night to go to the Science Museum and Omnitheater in St. Paul, so the guys weren't all that disappointed.

We recognize Reformation Day, and we hand out candy. Not sure what we'll do when Peanut gets older....

Originally Posted by DMcFadden

I celebrate Reformation Day on October 31.

We also acknowledge October 27.
















October 27, 1553 - the burning of Michael Servetus.

Considering the theology of some of our contemporaries, they probably would not have lasted as long as Servetus!

Do you "toast" the occasion?

Originally Posted by Scottish Lass

We recognize Reformation Day, and we hand out candy. Not sure what we'll do when Peanut gets older....

Take Peanut Treating!

i voted the first one. I have a great Michael Myers mask. Last year I was Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men. This year, not 100% sure yet, but I am leaning towards Kim Jong. It's a pretty simple costume.

I think the rat brains option bears a remarkable resemblance to the Bull Moose Party in the 1912 election.

Originally Posted by Augusta

How do you spend Oct. 31. Do you regard the day as popular culture does? Do you only regard Reformation Day? Etc.

I do the whole nine yards and watch old Abbott and Costello horror comedies and listen to otr horror on my mp3 player I love the holiday season

Originally Posted by Augusta

This is my first poll.

I am scared of making polls...lol. Too complicated!

Is there a plain "nothing at all" possibility. It felt too weird to vote "rat brains" whatever that is

I was tempted to vote "rat brains" too...

Just Reformation Day on my end. I have no desire to participate in Halloween. Whether it's an explicit pagan / satanic holy day, a commercialized holiday focused on the ghoulish and macabre but without any "real paganism," or somewhere in between, I don't think that it's appropriate for this Christian family to partake.

We put up a saw horse over our front sidewalk with a sign saying "Sorry, no treats, may you be blessed by God. Happy Reformation Day!"

And then we sing old Lutheran Hymns with organ accompaniment while leaving only the screen door closed. Most people find it scary enough.

Originally Posted by VictorBravo

We put up a saw horse over our front sidewalk with a sign saying "Sorry, no treats, may you be blessed by God. Happy Reformation Day!"

And then we sing old Lutheran Hymns with organ accompaniment while leaving only the screen door closed. Most people find it scary enough.

My skin crawls just imagining that.

This is not as straightforward as I thought.
I need to make sure I understand properly before I vote...sorry to be slow!
If I picked the first option, would I be saying a)that's what I think it's for, and that's actually what I do on Oct 31st.....
or b)that I see nothing in Halloween except for
"ghoulish decor, ....the whole experience" implying that it's unredeemable and therefore I wouldn't touch it with the tongs?
Also, what does the last option mean?
Thanks!

We don't celebrate Halloween in our home. It's Reformation Day as well as one of my daughters Birthday.

I grew up with celebrating Halloween with costumes and everything. I used to do some pretty wild pranks involving stuffed clothing, ketchup and cars as well. When I became a man I put away childish and devilish things. Now, if we do anything it is a celebration of the Reformation. Often we invite friends over and watch the older movie, Martin Luther. This year I will be participating in a Reformation 'party'. I'm to do a first person of William Farel. (I wish I'd known I'd be doing this a month ago. It would have given me an excuse to grow out my reddish hued beard Well, what hasn't turned white. )

Now that we are empty nesters, we usually go over to my son's and hand out candy while they take the granddaughters around the neighborhood. Their neighborhood is full of young couples who seem to really get into the trick-or-treat costume thing. I just sit back and enjoy the smiles and laughter. The little girls love doing it.

I personally celebrate the Reformation on 31 December.

Passes me by completely without notice. One of the benefits of living in the bush!

I recognize that it is Reformation Day, but unless there's a conference or something, I don't do anything about it. We trick or treat, too. (Again, unless there's a cool conference or something better to do.) I'm not die hard either way.

About the time for the trick-or-treaters to come out, we'll take the girls out for ice cream (8 & 2). We'll mess around for a while, then head back home about the girl's bed-time. Sometime during the evening, my 8-year old will ask why people celebrate something so "yukky" and we'll explain again why we don't do it. Then I'll tell her again about something great that happened on this day, for which we can give thanks.

That's pretty much our Halloween routine. I do start looking forward to the ice cream in early October-- as we use this as a rare occassion to go for the best.

oh! reformation day is on Oct 31st. Reformation Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I wonder why Luther picked this day to post his papers on the door?

-----Added 10/16/2009 at 09:26:55 EST-----

The Catholics failed to drown out Halloween by inserting All Saint's day.

Is reformation day on Oct 31st another failed attempt to drown out halloween

Is there another solution to drowning halloween out that might work? Any suggestions?

If it's the Lord's Day, I regard it as the Lord's Day only. Otherwise, it's just very loosely referred to as Reformation Day, but no "holy day" by any means.

Dao, raise taxes on candy sales in October??

P.S.

One thing we DEFINITELY do is go to Chipotle! If you put foil on your body in some way to look like a burrito, you get a free burrito!! We have done this for the last three years and their burritos are HUGE. This year the kids will be old enough to eat one, so we'll even put foil on them!

Weird picture, but like this:

None of the poll options apply. In our home, October 31 is our son's birthday.

Originally Posted by he beholds

P.S.

One thing we DEFINITELY do is go to Chipotle! If you put foil on your body in some way to look like a burrito, you get a free burrito!! We have done this for the last three years and their burritos are HUGE. This year the kids will be old enough to eat one, so we'll even put foil on them!

Weird picture, but like this:

Wow! How does your husband wear his? I'm totally gettin' a free Chipotle Burrito this year!

I forget what exactly we did for him, but somehow we got foil to stay on his head. You could probably cover a baseball hat or something.

This is NOT my husband, but here is a guy doing it:


I just called my Chipotle to make sure it is on for this year, and the lady said it is from 6pm till 10 this year, just so you know : )

So does it have to be on one's head?

Originally Posted by austinww

Dao, raise taxes on candy sales in October??

umm might work. The Government raise taxes on cigarettes. The effect cuts down on health problems. Taxes on Candy would cut down on health problems, too. Sweets probably kills more than cigarettes. Yesterday my wife was telling me that more people are killed from sleepy drivers than drunk drivers. How do we ban sleepy drivers and sweet toothers

Originally Posted by Dao

Originally Posted by austinww

Dao, raise taxes on candy sales in October??

umm might work. The Government raise taxes on cigarettes. The effect cuts down on health problems. Taxes on Candy would cut down on health problems, too. Sweets probably kills more than cigarettes. Yesterday my wife was telling me that more people are killed from sleepy drivers than drunk drivers. How do we ban sleepy drivers and sweet toothers

Well, I was going to say it isn't the government's concern whether we choose to eat candy and get cavities or not, but then I remembered...the government doesn't actually care what is and is not its concern.

Originally Posted by austinww

Well, I was going to say it isn't the government's concern whether we choose to eat candy and get cavities or not, but then I remembered...the government doesn't actually care what is and is not its concern.

You might get denied from health insurance if you have cavities.

Originally Posted by JennyG

This is not as straightforward as I thought.
I need to make sure I understand properly before I vote...sorry to be slow!
If I picked the first option, would I be saying a)that's what I think it's for, and that's actually what I do on Oct 31st.....
or b)that I see nothing in Halloween except for
"ghoulish decor, ....the whole experience" implying that it's unredeemable and therefore I wouldn't touch it with the tongs?
Also, what does the last option mean?
Thanks!

Rat brains! is very esoteric. You either get it or you don't.

-----Added 10/16/2009 at 11:21:13 EST-----

Originally Posted by ADKing

Is there a plain "nothing at all" possibility. It felt too weird to vote "rat brains" whatever that is

Adam, I thought of making a nothing option. I didn't because I thought that the majority of the Reformed would acknowledge or remember the Reformation on that day, and pick that option for non Halloween observance.

Originally Posted by Augusta

Adam, I thought of making a nothing option. I didn't because I thought that the majority of the Reformed would acknowledge or remember the Reformation on that day, and pick that option for non Halloween observance.

Without any pretence of judging anyone else's motives, it just strikes me that "Reformation Day" is just a modern attempt by reformed Christians to substitute their own party for Halloween. I would be very interested in knowing when this phenomenon started. It is remarkably like "Harvest Parties" that everyone (believer and unbeliever alike) knows is the evangelical substitute for Halloween parties. There are just too many events in church history that are worthy of commemorating that we don't have special days and parties for: 'Council of Nicaea Day' or 'Solemn League and Covenant Day'. But then again neither of those coincides with a special holiday in the world.