I hate Halloween

Yes, I'm afraid I do. Growing up we did not celebrate Halloween. My parents opted out given the witchcraft and the hocus pocus and the death and all that. They tried for many years to make sure we didn't feel left out, they gave us our own baskets of candy and even let us skip school if we wanted to (since we didn't dress up and everyone else did). And I never cared. It's a little surprising, actually, but it did not bother me or my two brothers. The one thing I remember every classmate saying is "but what about the CANDY??" I simply answered that my parents gave me candy rather than trick-or-treating for it (which is kind of terrifying, actually). I wasn't ridiculed or anything like that. No sob story here :) What I do want to share with you is the incredible alternative my Mom discovered and has implemented for years since: the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah is an annual (around this time of year) Jewish holiday celebrating the completion of another year of going through the Torah, and the beginning of a new cycle. At a Jewish temple the holiday includes dancing and candy--a real to do! So my Mom decided instead of celebrating Halloween, our family would celebrate Simchat Torah, and how "God's Word is sweet". Every year she assembles each of us (and anyone else she can think of) a basket of candy and verses printed out on little strips of paper talking about how good God's Word is, and how sweet it is; just like candy.

Here's mine this year. By the way, my youngest brother just turned 21 and we all still ask to make sure we will be receiving our Simchat Torah baskets every year!

Isn't it pretty? My mom's pretty cool. As for our family, we don't have any traditions yet. I think dressing up is pretty harmless (but expensive!), and we usually attend a harvest festival at a local church with friends. I will definitely continue the Simchat Torah tradition as soon as my kids are old enough to understand it. God's Word is sweet.