Concerning Halloween...

So... If you're a Catholic (or really any more rooted Christian), you've probably, at least once, run into the controversy of celebrating Halloween. You may only vaguely remember it and what it's about, or you may be so thoroughly sick of it at this point that you ignore that very existence of Halloween. Either way, it's worth another look. Why? Because I believe that there are too many "you're wrong, I'm right," approaches to the discussion (not meaning, of course, that there isn't a solid truth to the matter, but, rather, that people tend to talk over each other for whatever side of the debate they're on, and very rarely try to even understand the other opinion).

For those who don't remember as well, the debate mostly parts into two paths - no, you should not celebrate Halloween (or if you should, do not acknowledge it as Halloween, but merely an early All Saint's Day) because, you know, demonic influence and such; yes, you should absolutely celebrate Halloween (even if detached from All Saint's/Soul's Day) and it's all in good fun and there's nothing harmful about dressing up as human nightmares and pleasuring in darkness. Well. If you're on one side, I apologize for the bluntness, but, in all honesty, I cannot stand either argument a lick. They're both wrong.

Let's tackle the easier one first. If you're a traditional Christian, you're probably already looking at the latter description above and thinking "Eh, duh! - of course there's something wrong with dressing up as human nightmares and pleasuring in darkness - what is wrong with this world?!". You are right. But I have definitely met people who think otherwise. Because the line is so fine between celebrating harmless and harmful Halloween, many people tend to think that, as long as it's not serious, anything goes. Sure, you can have your silly costumes. Sure, you can put up your little cartoon ghost picture. Sure, you can go and tp houses at night. Sure, you can rope up a bloody, misshapen, raggedy doll on our tree outside so that it looks like it's hanging. Ahem. You get the point; it gets out of hand fast.

There is (as I will demonstrate later) absolutely nothing wrong with dressing up or having cartoon figures around the house during Halloween. Both, in fact, are at their root very Christian traditions. What's wrong is making a celebration of all things dark, ugly, and macabre. If you find putting fake bloody fingerprints on your window fun, then you've got a problem. Because we don't understand the difference between mocking and celebrating evil, we often stray towards the latter, patronizing nightmares, fictional mass-murderers, and demons. We can't just say, "you know, some things about Halloween are harmless, so that must mean I can celebrate everything about Halloween!". It just doesn't work that way.

Now. If you're in the other camp, you might already be disagreeing with me that there are some harmless things about Halloween. Well, disagree with major Vatican exorcist, Fr. Vincent Lampert:

"Ultimately I don't think there's anything wrong with the kids putting on a costume, dressing up as a cowboy or Cinderella, and going through the neighborhood and asking for candy; that's all good clean fun."

Fr. Lampert does not in any fashion mean that there is nothing wrong with the current celebration of Halloween; in fact, his point he leads up to in this statement is that it's not cowboys or Cinderella that are walking through the neighborhoods these days; look around Halloween night, and see if you don't find witches, serial killers, and bloody ghosts any way you look. Is that good clean fun? I don't know about you, but Fr. Lampert (and I) would say no. 

In truth, it is actually the kinship with evil that is accomplished which is the true crime oft committed on Halloween: we watch scary, unhealthily gruesome movies, we, in all seriousness, try to dress up as the most grotesque of figures, and we play games invoking a demonic theme (or even, directly, the demonic). Not only this, but, even those of us who merely engage in harmless, cartoonified revelry forget the point of Halloween - God. Halloween is a mockery of evil, a day to triumph, for we know that many have smitten the devil and gotten to Heaven, and many yet may. If we cannot keep in mind the purpose of a celebration, then that celebration becomes mere gluttony. If we're eating candy and dressing up and all such things without even a thought of why we're doing it, then we've just become blind pigs, eating without need for survival, and reveling without joy.

For ages, Christians have celebrated Halloween - we've celebrated it longer than the seculars, and we've celebrated it (despite common belief) longer than the pagans (the pagans did not celebrate All Hallow's Eve, a day for thoughts of Heaven, but, rather like today's common celebrations, merely celebrated a liberation of and communication with evil spirits on a similar date, which, by the bye, they did at the end of every month, and not specifically October). The reasons to not celebrate Halloween are similar to those who might advocate the end of Christmas celebration:

• Bad people, and, in fact, most people now celebrate it wrongly.
• It's become so secularized.
• There was a pagan holiday vaguely associated with its date.
• It's an occasion for evil influence. (Every day with an occult-curious, atheistic, or badly faith-formed person is an occasion for evil influence!)
• Not only God, but morality in general has disappeared from it. 
• Nobody goes to Mass that day anymore.
• And other similarly related reasons of its religious lacking.

Just because a holiday (holy-day) has become abused, we do not have to boycott it. In fact, I would say that is all the more reason to celebrate it - if people are celebrating it wrongly, then let us do it justice. Use the occasion to gain graces available that day, and make spiritual amends for the wrong done by the rest of the world. 

In fact, in addition to condemning the mainstream materialist and occult celebrations of Halloween, the Vatican-endorsed International Association of Exorcists in 2014 encouraged celebrating what they called "Holy-ween" - a vigil with prayer and remembrance of Our Lord's death and Resurrection, as well as a celebration of the saints.

I absolutely love this idea. Whoever thought this up is a genius. My toddler sister saw it and immediately exclaimed "It's a pumpkin Mama Mary - so pretty!"

If there is a harmless Halloween and a spiritual Halloween, then, I believe, we should be celebrating it. If your kid wants to dress up as a superhero, a princess, or, better yet, a saint, let them, and even encourage them! As a fairly recent Catholic article suggested, we should use the occasion to teach children about Halloween, its true meaning, and its opposite, not pretend it doesn't exist. Because Satan has no influence unless we give it to him, we've got to reclaim the holiday as Christian - don't let the seculars take a Christian holiday, and certainly don't let the demonically-inclined do so! Halloween will only get better if we're actually making it what it's supposed to be.

That's it for me. Your thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Anything to add or comment on? Do you celebrate Halloween? Or, more importantly, how do you celebrate Halloween? Are you getting frustrated with the number of slasher villains running around your neighborhood on Halloween? Or perhaps are you (lucky dog) preparing to go to an All Hallow's Eve Mass or saint-oriented costume party? 

An Apologia for Beauty and the Beast, Part One: Introduction

This year, I have the pleasure of being in a splendid production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. For the rare person who has not heard of it, it's the stage adaption of the 1994(?) cartoon movie by the same name, and a musical of fair renown. It is also more than that - as a Disney movie of that company's Renaissance, it tends to skate on the edge between the commendable and the not-so-commendable Disney movies as far as virtue goes. In fact, there is rather a good bit of controversy around it. Why? Well, for lots of reasons, which I plan to expound upon.

                           

Because of the play, perhaps, I've been doing a lot of thinking about Beauty and the Beast, and, of course, the thin ice that goes with it. As I was going to have to spend a lot of time with it, I supposed I would have to reason out my own thoughts on it. But, you know, there's really much more to the story than meets the eye, as I found out. And I believe it deserves a second chance. Agree? Disagree? Well, either way, I hope to provide my apologia here for the story, coming to my conclusion above through examination of the singular story, particularly from a Catholic and generally Christian perspective.
If you're a Beauty and the Beast fan (or perhaps an enemy thereof), the discussion may interest you; I hope it does. If you're not, I offer my apologies for the blog space and time taken up over the next few months on the topic. But in however many installments it takes, I'm determined to clear the name of this defamed fable, so hold tight...

Some things I hope to cover will be the character of Belle and the villagers, the traditionality/progressiveness of the story, the views on marriage and sexuality contained within, the story's morals and message, the original fairy-tale, movie and play, the artistic aspect, writing, accuracy and bias, and virtue (or lack thereof) of many of the other characters. If you hold (or have heard of) any other bones to pick with the story, just shoot 'em at me - I'll do my best to cover them. If they wreck my conclusion, all I can do, once more, is apologize for the wasted time, I suppose, but I do want to communicate this one point by my efforts: I think the story deserves a second look, and has good in it. If you disagree or, even, when all is through, disbelieve my arguments or conclusion, then that's fine, but I would like to spend some thought on a topic that's very often dismissed. Hopefully you can be patient with me while I do!

My Ink-and-Paper Pack...

Recently, my dear friend, Megan Chappie, has, apparently, unwittingly started a trend. That trend being...? The description of one's ink and paper family via personification as an actual family - and, oh, is it fitting. So I decided that I shall join in the fun as well and dwell a bit on my own bookish brood...
                     

The Mama's Girl

Alomina

My Mina, a young lady by now, is the oldest of my children, and is quite reliable. She's sweet, easy to like, and not too demanding.... but also rather melodramatic. Mostly, she's all grownup and fine, but she has always had a dramatic streak in her, and sometimes it gets the best of her. But, emotional or not, she's a dear little drama queen...

The Charming, Rascally... Triplets

The Top-Hat Gang Trilogy

These three boys are a headache and a half some days. They drive their poor mother nuts to no end - they're a bunch of heartbreakers, I'm afraid. Charming and troublesome, they could probably get away with murder (hopefully they haven't already). They rely on me very little these days, it seems, and tend to do their own thing. They're already a hit with the ladies, and don't they know it. Now the trouble will be to reel them back in enough to make sure they've got their three pretty heads in the right place.

The Headstrong One

The Clarion Call

She's a teen, and it's easily the roughest time with her. Her plots are unruly, her characters stick out, but she knows (or thinks she does) that if I would just let her out once in a while, she would be a star wherever she went. Of course, it has to be her idea, though - she can't be controlled or anything. Even more than going out, though, she just wants to be around other stories... perhaps a little too much. I've definitely had to watch her friends, that's for sure. They're giving her some wild notions about plot and development, and I have no idea where to even start...

Miss Wise-Crack

The Pain of a Memory

Sure, she's younger than her sisters, Alomina and The Clarion Call, but she's got some head on her shoulders, and is determined to go out there and do something with it. Changing the world just seems like the next logical step to her. While Mina clings to me and TCC battles me, TPoaM considers herself ready to move out and face the world - she's pretty much grown now, and she knows perhaps a little more than she should. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can say no...

The Frustrated Funlover

All's Fair!

He's TPoaM's twin, but hates to be considered as grouped with her. Why? She's 'so dramatic,' 'girly,' 'wouldn't know fun if it kicked her in the eye,' etc. I will agree with him that he has more of a sense of humor than her, but, honestly, he's so messy and irresponsible, sometimes I'm not sure if it's a good thing. He's a good boy at heart and tries very hard to do his best, but he just has difficulty shining over all his older siblings. Due to this, maybe, he tends to go around them and do things very differently... even if it means singing to make himself heard. 

The Hotheaded Middling

The Second Brother

Honestly, it's like the world's against him or something - everything sets this kid off. He's got a temper of fire, but a heart of gold, and he's protective of his siblings like nothing else. Unfortunately, he looks up to only them, and won't listen to me. Perhaps his copying them will turn him out well, though... 

The Other Triplets

In Greater Hands, Against the World, Beyond the Stars

Don't even ask me how I deal with two sets of triplets... I'm not sure. Thankfully, these three are much contrasted to their older brothers, and, while a bit noisy, are quite contented to go off and play little games and stories by themselves for long periods of time. The three gals have barely made a peep in ages, and it almost starts to worry me that they're planning something...

Mommy's Noisy Shadow

Le Ragnatele di Venezia

If I've told her once, I've told her a billion times - she's not my only child, I can help her later, she needs to settle down and leave me alone so I can help her siblings out, etc.... but she never listens. She relentlessly follows me around, a determined squeaky wheel, always asking for this or that and giving me (and her siblings) no peace. Really, I must find a way to teach her to do things for herself.

The Adopted Adventurer

The Treasure of the Twin Temples

I couldn't resist him when I saw his grinning little face - I had to adopt him. Technically, he's not originally mine alone, but he fits into the family like a puzzle piece. He's almost always happy, always has a cheesy joke or prank for his siblings and mama, and can amuse himself well enough. What a ham...

The Early Romantic

A Broadway Waltz

Really, she's hardly tall enough to reach the table, and she's already boy-crazy. She's a hopeless romantic at an early age, and constantly  is talking about princesses and Prince Charmings and weddings and all that, matchmaking for all her older siblings, much to their embarrassment and humor. She's so little... what on earth will she be like when she's older...?!

The Colicky Toddler

My Land, My Heart

She's a frequent cryer, I'm afraid, and can only be consoled by her older sister TPoaM, who she's attached to by the hip, practically. She's a mess most of the time, and I cannot for the life of me figure out what is wrong. Most of the time, I have to just sit back and let her sister hold her - otherwise, I must just cry too.

The Mobile One

The Harlequin Sleuth

He just figured out how to walk. Why is he running now...?! And where on earth is he going? I have to chase after him and watch him constantly, or else he will stop at nothing to explore this strange world with true baby curiosity. In fact, I'd probably better go run after him now, before he pulls a million sequels down on top of himself...

The Babies

Pack Up Your Troubles, By the First Light of Dawn, and Burn the Shakespeareans

Giselle (BtFLoD) is actually adopted as well, and originally from a foreign country, but she's a sweet little darling - hardly ever makes a fuss. PUYT, on the other hand, wants nothing but to be at Mommy's side - as long as she's there, though, she's happy. And then there's the one that's on the way... BtS promises to be a troublemaker as well, and may take up all my time once he's around. Let's hope the day takes a while to come... 

Phew! That's all my family for the moment (thank goodness!), and I think, with my thirteen munchkins, I win as far as numbers go. Now let's see how well I can send them off... Do you have an ink-and-paper family of your own? An unruly one? A really unruly one? Then join the party, be merry, and share your own little works' mishaps and quirks!