When you’re worried about work, making dinner, getting the kids to school and more, planning Halloween festivities for your family may be the last thing on your mind. If you’re still in need of some scare-free activities for this weekend, take a look at this list of events happening around San Antonio in the next couple of days.

1. Head to the San Antonio Zoo for Zoo Boo again this year! Zoo Boo is an exciting, safe, and non-scary Halloween event for families with children 12 years of age or younger, held on the grounds of the San Antonio Zoo. Feel free to wear a costume, as long as it’s not a frightening one! Zoo Boo will be open on Friday, October 30th and Saturday, October 31st from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.!
   
   
2. Morgan’s Wonderland is hosting A More Delightful than Frightful Halloween Event at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 31st.  In addition to trick-or-treating, enjoy face painting and your favorite Morgan’s Wonderland rides and attractions. They are also accepting food donations for the San Antonio Food Bank through Halloween Day – if you take in your donation of three non-perishable food items per person before Saturday, you can receive free entry on Halloween!
   
   
3. On Friday, October 30th, you can head out to the Little Pumpkins Palooza on 1801 W. Cesar Chavez for carnival games, a costume parade, live DJ, and pumpkin patch! This event is happening from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., and is sponsored by the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of San Antonio, so rest assured that the fun will be scare-free!
   
   

Whatever you decide to do with your family this weekend, the most important thing is that you’re having fun together. These events are sure to steer clear of negative influences and provide a safe environment for you to enjoy the company of your loved ones. Still, if you’d rather stay in carving pumpkins, keep in mind that as long as you’re doing it with family and loved ones, you can’t go wrong.
Have a safe Halloween!

Many Christian families struggle with knowing where to draw the line between having a little bit of Halloween fun and staying true to their Christian beliefs and values. The truth is Halloween was originally a Christian holiday. It literally translates to “All Hallows Eve”, hallows being an old word for holy. However, it’s no secret that over the years the day’s original purpose has been lost in the shuffle, and for many, it now represents evil. So as Christian families, how can we teach our children that it’s ok to have fun without getting caught up in all those evil influences?

Children don’t have to dress up as demons and your television sets don’t have to have scary movies running. There are many fun ways that your family can participate in Halloween festivities without taking part in activities that contradict your religious beliefs. Symbols have as much power as you give them. It’s true that people have abused this day to praise the presence of evil, but as Christian families we need to recognize that those influences do exist. We can’t hide from them. We need to learn to look evil in the face and tell it that we have God on our side. That being said, the holiday means to you what you make it mean to you. You can use it as a tool to teach your little ones about the difference between harmless fun and stuff they shouldn’t be messing with. It’s okay as Christians to take a stand and show that Halloween is not about the devil and witches for you. For you, it’s about doing something with family and community, and celebrating that God is more powerful than any evil influence. Movies starring exorcisms and demons should be left out, but there’s nothing wrong with dressing up as a family and going to the neighbors’ houses for trick-or-treating.
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Protecting your kids from dark influences doesn’t mean they can’t take part in Halloween. In fact, many parishes host Halloween festivals allowing families a safe place to dress up, eat candy, take photos in a pumpkin patch, and more. Remember, the harm is not in the symbols themselves, but what we allow those symbols to represent to us.
Have a safe and blessed All Hallows Eve!
 
Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.