JTA has a piece up today called “Halloween or Shabbat: A Tricky Choice This Year,” addressing the balance between a kinda pagan, sorta Christian, definitely heretic holiday with the one day of the week God asks for a little love.
The author offers suggestions like trick-or-treating in the pre-Shabbos daylight then knocking off the sugar-schnorring to light candles and definitely advocates buying up half-price treats to use for Purim. But he makes the point that we can’t throw tradition out just ’cause it’s a secular holiday (albeit the most superfun of ’em all): “If assimilation is the real bogeyman, we need to find a way to creatively hold him at bay.”
I agree, but why’s it gotta be either/or? In the tradition of Chrismukkah, I offer to my mishpocha Shabbatoween: Tonight we will light candles, eat matzah ball soup and only trick-or-treat within walking distance.
And I’ll hand out candy dressed as a dybbuk in purple devil horns. Boo Shabbos!
No kid is going to want matzah ball soup after what I’ve seen them eat today.
Graaaaayt – I thought you were supervising some sort of “Healthy Body Buffet”! Does this mean the organic apples I brought are turning brown next to the gummy pizza wrappers?
I took my grandkids trick or treating in costume. Nun’s habit. :-)(I’m one of my local group,”Poorly Behaved Single Jewish Grandmas”.