Growing up, Halloween was a fairly important holiday for me. It was a day filled with friendship, costumes, and candy. Yeah, don’t forget the candy. My buddies and I would create a strategic map, marking the houses where they gave full-size candy bars the year before. We happily skipped the houses that gave the orange and black wrapped mystery candy that was from the dollar bin. Overall, it was a beautiful day and night filled with friendship and generosity. Halloween, in our pre-adolescent minds, was a shadow of how life should be—neighbors opening doors, laughing children safely walking down suburban streets, and burgeoning friendships developing over a bag filled with Skittles and lollipops.

As a pastor, I still like Halloween. I really do. My kids (all grown up now) used to dress up and get their fair share of free cavities from our neighbors. They enjoyed the impromptu cookouts. It was a fun day. October 31 is a day I looked forward to.

I understand this subject may be a bit cringe-worthy for my fellow evangelical friends. I have been lovingly educated by well-meaning, and frankly, well-versed Christians who remind me of the dark, shadowy history of All Hallows Eve. They point me to statistics of occult activity and the sacrifice of animals on this day. I don’t begrudge any of it.

I just ignore it.

Here’s why . . . there is no other day during the year when strangers, neighbors, and smiling children will come knocking on our doors looking for a treat. Every Sunday we hear pastors preaching the great commandment of loving our neighbors and being agents of gospel generosity. Isn’t it time we put that good preaching into practice?

Here’s my encouragement: Stay home from that enticing Fall Festival; turn your front lights on, and buy the good candy this year—you know, the full-size Snickers. And then, be kind! In fact, it’s a good idea for you and me to be kind all year. But this Halloween, let’s kick the devil in the teeth by showing a kindness that makes people scratch their heads and wonder if Jesus is as good, kind, and generous as these Christians have been saying.