Many Christians are careful not to put too much emphasis on “celebrating” this particular season of the year. The evening before All Hallows’ Day, which traditionally commemorates the lives of the saints, has long been taken over by darker forces.

The outlook of some parents this season of the year can be summed up in a whimsical way with a Babylon Bee article entitled “Mom Can’t Decide Between Allowing Her Kids to Dress Up For Halloween Or Having Them Get To Heaven.”

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Yes, Halloween has gone off the rails with gore down through the decades since I was a child. But there are still ways to enjoy the “scary stuff” without giving into darker, pagan alliances.

Besides church services that still commemorate the lives of the saints, there are alternative ways to enjoy fall activities in late October that do not align with anything demonic.

I can offer some from my own experience.

A Nod to More Innocent Times

Growing up, my siblings and I were fortunate enough to be involved with Sarah Heinz House. Heinz House is a philanthropic arm of the H.J. Heinz company, whose manufacturing and distribution plant was located on the North Side of Pittsburgh from 1869 through the early 2000s, when the entire complex was turned into apartment loft space.

Heinz House remains a club for children of all ages, similar to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the YMCA. Heinz House offers a variety of fun activities throughout the week and even summer camp outings in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, along Slippery Rock Creek.

One year when I was around ten, at a Halloween party where children dressed in all sorts of amusing or playful costumes........

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