Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Tired of being the freak

Why is it okay for national companies to refuse to recognize Christmas but it is so hard for a Christian to not participate in Halloween? Look, you wanna call your tree a holiday tree, go ahead. Fine. The stupid tree isn't a Christian symbol anyway. You want to take Christmas off, and refuse to acknowledge what it is that gave you that day off....whatever. It annoys me, but I'm not shoving it down your throat. So why, in the name of tolerance, is it abusive for me to take my kids to the library on Halloween, an activity they enjoy, with a quick stop at the grocery store for them to each pick a bag of candy they like most (to silence the skeptics that say it is all about the candy). Why must we participate?

I'm sick of feeling like the freak, even in the church, for choosing to skip this "holiday." Once, in college, I had the audacity to show up at work in work clothing. My co-workers and the people I stabbed in the finger (I worked at a plasma bank) all stared at me like I was a freak. Someone said, "Oh, Jamie doesn't believe in Halloween..."

"Oh yes, I do." I replied. "That is why I don't participate."

Now I didn't say anything else and wouldn't have said that if they hadn't been taunting me. I'm not trying to get others to join me. I just know too much and I can't participate. Yes, I participated as a child--until I was pursued down a dark road by a car full of men. I remember the fun and the candy. And yes, it was one of my favorite holidays. I get that. I don't need every Christian telling me that it is just a kids holiday and that I'm over-reacting. You wanna participate, fine. Do it. But leave me out of it. And for heaven's sake quit trying to make my kids want to participate. They like the library, their choice of candy, the dress-up they get to choose on November 1, their Popin's birthday, and McDonalds Playplace. Got it? Good.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can see that really lights your fire. Articulate post.

Sarah said...

You're not alone!!
We don't celebrate Halloween either, for spiritual/religious reasons probably close to your own. Fortunately, I haven't run into too much opposition. One year when I worked in a small office, we were supposed to have a big sales/marketing event on Halloween where we would all dress up and go deliver candy to our biggest clients. I told my boss that I was not comfortable participating, and fortunately she was willing to let me off the hook after I explained my reasoning. But they all still kind of thought I was just being a party pooper. Whatever. I'm not a pagan, so I don't celebrate Halloween. Just like I don't celebrate Hannukah, or Kwanzaa, or Ramadan...because none of those are "holidays" that reflect my Christian faith either. Why is it that Halloween is the one that people seem to think is just so ridiculous to avoid?