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Halloween and fall festivities are often an enjoyable time for many children and families! After all, what kid doesn’t love dressing up and getting candy?  While there is certainly a dark side to Halloween that we as Christian parents can do our best to avoid, there are many ways to redeem Halloween to make it not only fun, but God glorifying at the same time!  I have included some COVID-19 adaptions to help you think outside the box, as well!

1. Read Christian books that relate Halloween and pumpkins to God’s truth. 

When my kids were little, I used to love reading sweet, Christian picture books with them, and we still pull our fall-themed ones out from our fall bin each year to read throughout the season. Here are a few treasured ones related to this time of year.

The Pumpkin Gospel: A Story of a New Start with God  by Dr. Mary Manz Simon is a sweet board book for kids ages 3-6 that relates the carving of the pumpkin to our new life with Jesus.  I love how the kids can carve the pumpkin and have the visual and sensory experience to help them understand how God cleans our hearts and shines brightly within us!  

The Pumpkin Patch Parable: Special Edition (Parable Series) by Liz Curtis Higgs is a beautifully illustrated story with a very similar gospel theme to The Pumpkin Gospel but geared towards older children (5-10).  The last page provides a quick explanation of how the carving of the pumpkin in the story relates to a new life in Christ. Parents could definitely expand on this explanation by asking more questions and discussing the analogies of pumpkin carving further.  

Pete the Prodigal Pumpkin: A Good News Halloween Story by Kurt W. Bubna is an adorable story about a pumpkin that decides to runaway during Halloween time and how the farmer forgives Pete and brings him back home.  The sweet story of redemption is a great reminder that our loving Savior will always welcome us back when we mess up. 

For more great fall resources, including Thanksgiving books, click here.

2. Dress up as characters that exemplify good rather than evil.

When deciding what your kids would like to dress up as for Halloween, encourage characters that are worthy of celebrating and talk about their godly character.  Choosing to dress up as a person from the Bible could also be a fun way to bring God into the day! I can only imagine what great conversations would evolve when people ask your children who they are dressed up as when they are out trick-or-treating! 

3. Invite friends to your church’s fall festival.

Not everyone is going to go to church, but many friends will feel comfortable going to a kid-friendly fall festival at the church.  You never know how God could use the simple invitation to encourage a family to get involved in church and ultimately grow in a relationship with the Lord!

COVID Adaption: If your church is not doing a fall festival due to the pandemic, consider having a small neighbor get-together in your yard to carve pumpkins or play games.  Neighborhood get-togethers are always great ways to build community and get to know your neighbors! 

4. Get your church involved with your neighborhood or school “trunk or treat.”

This is something we have enjoyed doing for several years as a family, and we were able to invite hundreds of people to our church through invitation cards and be a shining light of hope on a night often filled with darkness.  

COVID Adaption: Some neighborhoods are trying drive-through trunk or treats this year, so if your community is unsure, consider bringing up an idea like this or thinking outside the box to have something more “COVID friendly.”

5. Pass out tracts or messages of the gospel along with candy or “You’ve Been Booed” Bags.

I have heard many families pass out gospel tracts along with their candy when people come to their house to trick or treat.  What a simple and powerful way to involve our kids in sharing the gospel to many children in their neighborhood on Halloween night! 

You could also print off  “You’ve Been Booed” signs to put on your neighbors’ front door steps along with candy, goodies, and a Halloween tracts.  

Here is an example of a Halloween tract can be found on Amazon: Light Up The Night


Halloween Tract: Light Up the Night (ATS) (Pack of 25)

COVID Adaption:  Some neighborhoods or neighbors are choosing to leave candy on their front door step to decrease people interaction.  You could leave Halloween tracts in a separate container for children to take as well! 

Praying God gives you the perfect plan to share His love and truth with your kids and others over the Halloween/fall season!