Sunday, October 10, 2010

Halloween is on a Sunday? Uuuuuh...

So, has the debate started for you guys?

Halloween is on a Sunday this year.
Do you dress your kids up and take them trick or treating?
If you don't, do you answer the door for other trick or treaters?
What about the mutiny that will ensue if you go that route?
Maybe we could give out Pass-Along cards and dress up as Mormon missionaries? Would that make it ok? Are we willing to live with the title Scariest House on the Block, forever after?

I've been feeling this out among friends. I had assumed that, like Utah, the Bible Belt would just automatically celebrate Halloween the night before if Halloween fell on a Sunday. But it appears that I assumed wrong, even among my Latter-day Saint friends.

Well, SHOOT. Now what do I do?

I've decided to put on my big girl panties and do something that is TOTALLY out of character for me: invite my neighbors on my street to come to MY house for a Halloween Eve party. I know. You should've SEEN the look the Spouse gave me when I suggested it. Because I don't even GO to these things, let alone HOST these things.

But I'm feelin' pretty strongly about this whole "Sabbath day holy" thing, so I'm trying to follow the prompting to do something about it.

I'm attaching a printable large .jpg file for a Halloween Eve invitation, if you don't want to make your own. If you're having trouble deciding how to celebrate this year, join us--save this to your computer, print it (I went easy on the graphics to save ink), fill it out, stick it in your neighbor's mailboxes (tape a sucker to it, for added incentive), and then wait for them to stand you up... oh... I mean, come.

Hey. At least we'll be able to say we tried.

4 comments:

  1. That's cool you're doing a party to take control of the situation.

    Once when I was little, Halloween was on a Sunday and we did a family trick-or-treat at our own house. My parents had purchased some special treats ahead of time and we trick or treated from door to door in our house. One of my most memorable Halloweens. I don't know if it really solved the Sunday problem, but I look forward to recreating in my family one day.

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  2. Can't wait to hear how this works out for ya! : )

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  3. I hate (ok actually I love) to play the devil's advocate here, but I no longer see a problem with trick or treating on Sunday. Do you let your kids play dress up on Sunday? Do you let your kids go visit neighbors on Sunday? If those neighbors gave your kids candy would it bother you at all? I don't see how adding these together equals a Sabbath-breaking activity.

    A less trivial reason that I think it is actually important to trick or treat is that Mormons can be insular people. I know you personally are good at reaching out, but on average we spend our Sundays, holidays, and one night a week with our church and family. Halloween is the perfect way to reach out and actually interact with your neighbors. It shows them we do want to be part of the community.

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  4. Well, Adam, I guess we know what YOU'LL be dressing up as, for Halloween. And I don't have a huge problem with others doing it--I'd just feel like a two faced hypocrite if I did. But I know you'll make the right decision. *evil chuckle*

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