Our family does not take part in Halloween celebrations for many reasons (our views are summed up here), but we do take part in Reformation Day, which is celebrated on October 31st.
Our family plans for and looks forward to this day. If you would like to learn more about this church holiday, below are some websites that will help you plan your own Reformation Day activities with your children.
If you choose not to celebrate Halloween and would like to explain to your children why, here are two great books: Halloween – Is It For Real? and Mommy, Why Don’t We Celebrate Halloween?
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. – Philippians 4:8
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:14-16
Print and Color a Picture of Martin Luther
Reformation Day Word Search Find the Reformers in the puzzle
Reformation Day Fair Activities A number of interesting ideas for celebrating Reformation Day
Reformation Skit Best for older students, probably grades 5 – 12
A Unit Study on the Reformation This is from Core Knowledge and is for grade 5
Questions and Answers about Reformation Day
A Mighty Fortress is Our God The words and music
Reformation Day This is from sundayschoollessons.com
Luther’s 95 Theses
The Life of Martin Luther
John Calvin
Reformation Day October 31st or December 10? An interesting article
Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed the World by Paul L. Maier
The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs
Mommy, Why Don’t We Celebrate Halloween? by Linda Hacon Winwood
Article: What Does the Bible Say About. . .?
Article: When Good People Disagree Uses Halloween as a case study in conflict
Article: Pumpkin Evangelism
Book: The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs (for children)
Leaflet: Halloween Leaflet – Light-Up-the-Night
Tracts: Halloween Tracts
Tracts: Chick Tracts: Turn Halloween Into a Night of Evangelism Ideas could be used with their tracts or other tracts
Article: Christians and Halloween: The Pagan Origin of Halloween
Article: The History of Halloween — It’s Probably Not What You Think
Article: The Occult Connection
Cassette: Halloween: Invitation to the Occult? – Audiobook on Cassette by Chuck Missler
Article: Halloween for Christians?
Article: Should Christians participate in the Halloween holiday?
Article: Happy Halloween? Is there any good reason for a Christian to celebrate it?
Article: A Look at Halloween
Article: Can Halloween Be an Entirely Innocent Practice?
Article: Saints, Symbols and Celebrations: A New Perspective on Halloween
Book: Halloween, Is It for Real? by Harold Myra
WoW! Thank you for all the links! Our family doesn’t celebrate Halloween either, but Reformation Day.
Thank you, again…I will have to look up some of the links you have provided.
Grace and Peace.
Great Links Lisa!
Thanks for this great info, now all in one place!!
This is awesome! Thank you! We celebrate Reformation Day as well and this list is fantastic!
We do not celebrate halloween in any way, shape or form. I want to share the following. I have permission to share with others:
“God unmasks Halloween”
“Does the Bible have anything to say about strange customs and holidays such as this? In fact, it does—and none of it is good.
While God’s Holy Days in the Bible celebrate the role of Jesus Christ in bringing mankind to salvation in the eternal family of God, Halloween is a celebration of the opposite—of demonism, witchcraft, death and evil spirits.
God’s Word makes it clear that no one should dare entertain witchcraft or act as a sorcerer. “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD” (Deuteronomy 18:10-11, emphasis added throughout).
God pronounced death on any Israelites who would dare dally with demonism or Satanism: “A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them” (Leviticus 20:27). “You shall not permit a sorceress to live” (Exodus 22:18).
Why such a harsh penalty? God did not want such perverted, demonic practices to spread among His people and corrupt others. “But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst” (Deuteronomy 13:5).
Would God be against something as harmless as Halloween, especially since it allows children to have fun and enjoy a little entertainment? Can’t we let them have a little harmless fun?
Frankly, Halloween is anything but harmless. It focuses one’s attention on witchcraft and demonism, which flies in the face of the holy God Almighty! When parents not only allow but also encourage their children to celebrate witches and goblins, they are teaching them that it’s acceptable to deal in demonism.
And we have seen what God thinks of that. God is a God of light and truth (1 John 1:5). Satan, “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), is a very real being—a being of darkness, deception and death (Revelation 12:9; John 8:44). We are to have nothing to do with his ways.
Do not assume that Halloween is a harmless holiday. God hates mankind’s dabbling in the spirit world of Satan and his demons!
If there were no other reason available, that should be enough. But there are more reasons. Halloween keeps humankind, and many Christians, confused, disoriented and separated from the one and only true God.
God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). Nor is He the author of Halloween or any other “Christianized” pagan holidays (Amos 5:21). Why would the only true God who loves mankind support any worldly holiday that blinds human beings to Him and His truth and that holds men, women and children captive to deception?”
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Thank you for this! It seems so many believers are not willing to give up the things of the world and choose to not see the harm this day brings. I have been redeemed out of the hands of the evil one and his practices, why would I not turn and flee from this evil? To not is to mock all that Christ did for us on the Cross. Jesus paid it ALL for us, it’s the very least we can do.
Our church has a worship service and get together to remember Reformation Day.
Thank you for posting this! I’ve never heard of celebrating Reformer’s Day,but we do not do Halloween at all. We did it as kids growing up,but not the whole scary outfit. I never knew it was a scary day until I got older. We went 3 places to trick or treat,thankfully we weren’t exposed to the dark side intentionally. It’s all dark,but we weren’t dressed as witches,goblins, and so on. We thought it was harmless to dress up as a princess and go get candy. Thank God for His Word and Spirit to reveal to me and my family(parents and siblings) that it is not a good idea to participate in. My husband and his family never participated.
We stopped participating in Halloween a few years ago (actually before I rededicated my life to Christ) because of things I had heard about the ‘holiday.’ I decided to do some research, on the internet, and didn’t like what Halloween stood for. From that moment forward, we stopped participating. At first my kids didn’t like it, but I explained my reasoning and read some of the things I found in my research to them… and they accepted it. My youngest (5 years old) doesn’t even know what Halloween is! He sees the candy in the stores, so we usually buy a couple bags that don’t have halloween stuff all over them, and put in a candy dish. I like to decorate for fall though, and usually add a couple non-carved pumpkins in the mix (along with hay stacks, we live in the country, and pretty fall flowers). I decorate around the first week of November and leave it up until December 1st… it has sort of become a Thanksgiving celebration decoration thing.
Thanks so much for this! I havent had a minute to prep for this , this year! Blessings!