I Hate Halloween

Christina Stanley wrote the following post on Facebook:

I hate Halloween. Yup. Hate it.

The colors? Ugly. The theme? Morbid. The vibe? Straight up weird.

Why are we out here celebrating death every October like it’s something cute? You’ve got skeletons hanging off porches, blood dripping from windows, and kids dressed like demons… and everyone calls it “fun for the family.” For real???

I’ll take Fall, but keep your Halloween.

Give me cozy sweaters, apple cider doughnuts, and pretty porch pumpkins that aren’t possessed. I don’t need fake cobwebs or orange and black everything. My home décor says, “harvest season,” not “haunted crypt.”

So no, I’m not decorating with skulls or letting my kids think a bloody clown is festive.

Give me Fall, minus Halloween. Thank you very much.

I agree totally with Christina. I hate Halloween. I pray against it every year. I lock my doors, leave my porchlights off, and go out to eat during Trick or Treat hours.

Insurance data shows that vandalism is significantly higher on Halloween, with claims increased by around 68% compared to the yearly average. I don’t think soaping the windows of elderly neighbors is hilarious. I don’t think it’s funny to find the chopped off head of a real chicken wedged in the handle of one’s screen door. (That happened to us one year!) And don’t get me started on the sheds that have been overturned, the cows that have been let loose, and the trees that have been toilet-papered, etc., all in the name of “a bit of harmless fun”!

Admittedly, most people just enjoy dressing up their children and allowing them to collect sweet treats from neighbors on October 31^st. However, there are those who still link it to its occultic origins, including contacting the dead and offering pagan sacrifices. For me, that spiritual connection is enough reason not to participate.

So, as that day approaches, I am standing in solidarity with Christina--Give me Fall, minus Halloween!

©2025 Pamela D. Williams

Granny-A Life Changed

In Sunday evening community group, we have been talking about how sharing the stories of how we became a Christian can encourage others and vice versa. One of the greatest testimonies I know belongs to my Granny Warnick.

Married at age 15, Granny bore four children over the next 10 years. Her husband graduated from Juniata College with an education degree but couldn’t make a living as a teacher. He went to work at the Harbison-Walker Refractory, known to most as “the brick yard”. Tragically, when Granny was just 27, he died of a lung disease caused by breathing the silica sand dust.

Grief and responsibility overwhelmed Granny. To escape, she spent many hours in Meloni’s Bar and had lots of boyfriends. As the eldest, the task of raising her younger siblings fell to my mother, who quit school in eighth grade.

Despite Granny’s shortcomings, my mother never distanced herself from her mother or kept us away from Granny. My siblings and I loved it when Granny visited, and sometimes, we even joined her at Meloni’s. When I started dating, I took my boyfriend, Dick there to meet Granny. Seated at the bar wearing white knee-high go-go boots and a mini-skirt, Granny was smoking a cigarette and sipping a bottle of beer.

One day Granny was working in her flower beds when the minister from a local church was out for a walk. He saw Granny and stopped to admire her beautiful plants. After a bit of small talk, the pastor gradually steered the conversation around to spiritual things, asking Granny about her relationship with God and explaining God’s love and forgiveness.

With that conversation, my then 60-something grandmother experienced a brand-new start in life! She gave up smoking and drinking entirely and encouraged others to do the same. She became involved in the life of a local church. Over the next 20 years, she generously shared the truths she was learning with family, friends, and anyone else who would listen.

Thinking about Granny always renews my faith in God. She was a powerful example of the positive, life-changing force a relationship with Jesus can be.

Be encouraged!

©2025 Pamela D. Williams