While I don't have any particular plans, I am still very much a fan of this holiday. It all started with my "religious" watching of It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and usually Garfield's Halloween Special.
Some people might be shocked to find that I am a Christian and still an avid fan. To this I would say that is a lack of understanding on their part. Yes, there is quite a bit of darkness surrounding it, but there is also a lot of really interesting tradition. And being of Scotch-Irish (i.e. Celtic) origins myself, I have always been fascinated to learn more about All-Hallow's Eve and Samhain. From what I can gather in the research I had done for a paper on the Origins of Holidays and picking my very intelligent boyfriend's brain, Halloween was once a holiday that originated among Celtic people. It was a day and night that most people believed that the spirit world was alive and spirits and fairies would traverse the world looking for people to haunt or steal.
It was for this reason, that people began dressing up, to "confuse the spirits." And therefore to avoid being stolen. I remember three years ago when I discovered this fact accidentally when my boyfriend suggested we dress up my cat so that the fairies would not steal her. :)
I believe that there are different times when the spirit world is active and that there are also Satanic forces at work at those times, so it is important for me to be aware, that there is a darkness present at those times. However, I believed that God is powerful enough to protect me during those times, and that as long as I do not seek them out, I think that fun can definitely had, and I for one am not opposed to confusing evil spirits.
Also, this Holiday was important in the Church in historic times as it preceded All Saints Day which at one time was a very important Christian Holiday that was connected to All Hallows Eve, in a kind of purging of the evil spirits of the previous day.
Another important fact about Halloween, is that it is John Keats's Birthday, as my love told me also on the first Halloween that we were together. As Keats is his favorite poet, i cannot think of a reason not to celebrate the day.
All this to say, I am definitely not for Satanic celebrations on Halloween ever. But in reality, I do not think that are what its origins were dictating.
Plus, a day and a holiday is far more about what you bring to it. There is darkness in it, but there is also light. Every day is a day that God made, including this one.
P.S. In my experience growing up, remember a lot more other holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas that were full of evil spirits of families quarreling and other problems, that I just don't remember about Halloween.
