Pumpkins are carved, candy bought, costumes chosen with persnickety detail and maybe just a few tears and whines. While trick-or-treaters go door-to-door tonight and churches offer fall festivals for those who don’t want to embrace the evil side of this secular “holiday,” most people never think of the religious roots and implications of this day. I know very little myself, not having been raised in a denomination that celebrates All Saints Day (November 1).

I was actually a young adult with children before I came to realize that this day of the year, this season, held more importance than just a day for kids to dress up and get candy. This “kids holiday” really holds a great deal of importance for Christians. I won’t bore you with my limited knowledge when a quick Google search can offer so much more, so I’ll just give you your assignment. (Feel free to CLEP out of this if you were educated about these religious events and observances.) But the rest of you – Put on your thinking caps and get those fingers typing, searching these important things:

All Saints Day, All Hallow’s Eve, Reformation Day, Martin Luther (NOT Martin Luther King), Ninety-five Theses, Wittenburg, Germany, and maybe even the roots of the word holiday.

That should give you some food for thought for the next few days to keep you from eating all that candy the kids have! 😉 You can thank me later!