Halloween or Harvest Day?

by Sherry Holetzky | More from this Blogger

02 Oct 2006 06:16 AM

Some people celebrate Halloween, while others don't much care for it. Some celebrate Harvest Day instead, especially many people of faith. Whichever one you prefer, or even if you celebrate both, October 31 means treats and fun for kids. I'll try to include projects and ideas that can be used for both.

I am a Harvest Day person myself, and our church goes all out to make the day great fun for the kids. We don't do Halloween, but we also don't want the kids to feel left out. The church throws a grand party, basically a fun-fair style event with lots of games, door prizes, food, treats, a cakewalk, a hay ride, and a fun little thing they like to call "trunk or treat."

This is a great idea that I wanted to share in case your church or any other establishment might be interested in trying it. Instead of letting kids go door to door, which can be a little unnerving these days, members of the church (or other group) simply park cars around the parking lot and pass out candy from the trunks of their cars. The kids move down the line from one car to the next collecting treats. Since only members of the church or other group participate, parents feel safe letting little ones collect treats, and the kids still have fun and go home with a bag full of candy.

Inside, all children win when they play the fun-fair games. Prizes range from small to large candies and toys, but everybody gets something just for playing. The kids dress up in costumes, as do many of the adults, although we try to stay away from the really scary stuff. This is for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that this is a family event and many small children are in attendance.

So, if you're looking for ways to do Harvest Day in a big way, or if you'd prefer to throw a party and find a safe way for kids to trick or treat, I hope some of these ideas will be useful. There's nothing wrong with having fun, but I think it's a lot more fun when you don't have to worry about children getting frightened or being harmed.

Learn more about Sherry Holetzky

Sherry Holetzky is a work at home mom and freelance writer. Married to her best friend, Sherry and her husband are raising their family in a quiet rural setting in the beautiful Ozark Mountains.

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