Loving your neighbor at Halloween

Hi friends,

I wanted to ask how you and your family (and friends) love your neighbors at Halloween.

For instance, in the neighborhood we live in, the community invited us to participate in a tradition called “ghosting.” In short, one family provides a large storage box with dozens of front door “ghost” hangers and a list of participating households.

Whenever your door is “ghosted” it means that someone else put a ghost on your front door, left a box of treats, rang the doorbell, and ran away. At that point, you go and get a front door hanger, find a neighbor who hasn’t been ghosted yet, and “pay it forward” by delivering treats to their home.

Of course, with doorbell cameras, it is now relatively easy to identify who brought treats to your door, and not only deliver treats to a new family but also send some to the people who ghosted your house.

Our family had a ton of fun baking cookies, picking out candy, organizing the basket, deciding who to ghost, and delivering the goodies to a neighbor.

I can’t think of another time of year where everyone in the neighborhood is intentionally doing acts of kindness for one another throughout an entire month.

And in about a week, kids will be roaming the neighborhood looking for candy, and it’s another opportunity to welcome them to our front porch, say hello, and give them something that will make them happy, no strings attached.

At the same time, I understand the concerns about spiritual warfare, consumerism, bad eating habits, and all the rest. It’s important to think about the ways we can intentionally pray for holiness, practice generosity, and practice self-control.

I’m curious to hear if you or your neighborhood (apartment building, dormitory, etc.) has ways of loving one another at Halloween?

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Hey @Carson! This is such a cute idea! I am obsessed with the idea of Halloween being a community event that prioritizes giving to others rather than focusing on receiving candy from strangers.

My neighborhood has historically been very short on trick-or-treaters, because a nearby neighborhood shuts down whole streets for kids to wander freely on their sugar-fueled adventures. Most Halloweens I have spent at my church, helping facilitate an event that brings the Gospel, music, games, and lots of candy to the hundreds of kids from the church’s neighborhood.

With this year’s event postponed, I will be excited to see what ways I can love the few trick-or-treaters who make their way to my door with candy, smiles, and knowing my parents, a Bible verse handout or two!

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