Reforming Halloween (at our house)

Happy Reformation Day!

Okay, first of all let me say that I grew celebrating and LOVING Halloween. Dressing up and getting candy? What's not to love?! But this year, for my family, we are trying something a little different: Reformation Day--which is marked on Oct. 31 when a monk named Martin Luther hammered his 95 Thesis (or statements) to a church door in Germany.

To me, Reformation Day is an opportunity to teach my kids a little church history and instill in them the message that our salvation is through faith not works (one of the main ideas behind the Reformation). And, yes, this my attempt to create an alternative to the spooky stuff (and sometimes evil) associated with Halloween. Let me be clear: I'm not saying you're bad if you celebrate Halloween. No judgment here, my friends. This is just something we are doing this year for our family.

There will still be costumes--dressing in Renaissance style (and of course, Anne never argues with being a princess). And there will still be candy--we will be visiting several friends to bring them treat and receive some ourselves. And there will be several other fun activities throughout the day (games, stories, crafts, food). I've planned a full day of activities with three of my closest friends and their children.

This is something new for us this year, so we'll see how things go. Over the next few days, I'll share the photos, activities, and more on the history of Reformation Day. Oh, and definitely more on costumes (like the one above).