Family Activity

The Day After Halloween

Halloween is a national day to spoof our common fears of horror and death. Like Christmas, Halloween has grown from a single day into a season that lasts most of October. Specialty stores open during this season to cater to Halloween dress, parties, and decorations. Many people light their homes during October with Halloween lighting and imagery.

How can we use Halloween to teach our children about their faith? Before your children eat too much candy, ask them about their costumes. What did they like about the character they dressed up as? Write down the attributes of that character in a column. Now ask them the characteristics that are the opposite of that character. Write down their answers in a column next to the "attributes" column. Try to line up the opposites, then describe the characters of each column. The evil person has a good twin. The princess has a twin commoner. The devil is the opposite of an angel. Which of the characters would your child like to be? Why? Point out the good characters could be saints.

Try to find a saint that matched the characteristics of the good persons described. Even look up the saint you were named after and your child's name sake for inspiration. End your discussion with a Litany of the Saints. Ask your saints to pray for you and your family.