Haunted House into a non-scary haunt?

[iHaunt]

How have some of you turned your yard haunt display into a children's day haunt? What are safe characters for kids for the actors?

[Pumpkin56]

Scooby Doo? I don't know--I avoid doing the non scary stuff--my haunt isn't necessarily threatening, but at the same time I wouldn't say it's geared towards the little ones.

[Murfreesboro]

Do you mean that you want the haunt to have one character in daylight, and a different character at night?

Almost any "monster" can be made child-friendly, as long as the face is goofily smiling. Think about a Frankenstein with a big, goofy grin on his face. Or a Casper-like ghost. There is a character in a children's cartoon series my daughter used to like, called Scary Godmother. She is a witch, but she is clearly not mean. I believe she even has companions, like a comic skeleton and a werewolf, who are very friendly as well. The werewolf is sort of like a big, friendly dog. And she has friends who are a family of vampires--mother, father, and little boy.

[Andybev01]

If you really want your kids azz kicked, may I suggest this?

http://jesusween.com/

Honestly.

[Murfreesboro]

I hadn't heard of that, but at least one woman in our vicinity has been doing this for a while, giving out little religious tracts along with the candy. She dresses like a clown when she does it.

Obviously I think those Christians who are frightened of Halloween are getting worked up over nothing, but I have accepted her literature without complaint. I do the same when other neighbors hand out their political tracts (for a party other than mine) along with the candy. If you knock on people's doors and beg for candy, you can't really complain about what else they may give. It's their choice to give it, my choice whether I read it or not.

Our church is doing Trunk or Treat again this year. I noticed they specifically requested that the kids not dress in scary costumes, or those suggesting evil. Once, two or three years ago, they requested that the kids dress as someone from the Bible. I sent my daughter as the Witch of Endor.

[Andybev01]

I hadn't heard of that, but at least one woman in our vicinity has been doing this for a while, giving out little religious tracts along with the candy. She dresses like a clown when she does it.

Obviously I think those Christians who are frightened of Halloween are getting worked up over nothing, but I have accepted her literature without complaint. I do the same when other neighbors hand out their political tracts (for a party other than mine) along with the candy. If you knock on people's doors and beg for candy, you can't really complain about what else they may give. It's their choice to give it, my choice whether I read it or not.

Our church is doing Trunk or Treat again this year. I noticed they specifically requested that the kids not dress in scary costumes, or those suggesting evil. Once, two or three years ago, they requested that the kids dress as someone from the Bible. I sent my daughter as the Witch of Endor.

That is freaking hilarious! You could go as Eve, pre-expulsion.

[Murfreesboro]

Hey, Satan is in the Bible, right?

Oh, you could have soooo much fun with that .

[Pumpkin56]

What would be really funny is if ALL the kids dressed as Satan

[Murfreesboro]

[Jack Skellington]

Someone from the Bible?

Well if Jesus died & then arose from the dead, does that mean that you could get away with going as a Zombie Jesus?!

Or is that pushing it a bit too far?

[Murfreesboro]

OMG!

I wouldn't dare. No, I wouldn't push it that far. . . . I am a Christian; I just don't enjoy the puritanical streak in some Christian denominations. I was raised Episcopalian, a denomination which is not at all like that. My husband's Lutheran denomination veers that way at times. It is possible that his church is also influenced by the area where we live, which has a lot of evangelical Christians. I don't dislike the evangelicals generally; they have much to be proud of in their heritage (abolition of slavery, enforcement of child labor laws, etc.). But they can get a little paranoid about Halloween, IMO.

[Pumpkin56]

Someone from the Bible?

Well if Jesus died & then arose from the dead, does that mean that you could get away with going as a Zombie Jesus?!

Or is that pushing it a bit too far?

If anyone actually had the nerve to do that, I would tip my had to them. BUT I would definitely keep my distance and hope for their sake that they can run fast

[iHaunt]

That's correct.... I've seen Jesus has risen from the dead!
Jesus is like my father!

Someone from the Bible?

Well if Jesus died & then arose from the dead, does that mean that you could get away with going as a Zombie Jesus?!

Or is that pushing it a bit too far?

[Rising Dead Man]

I hadn't heard of that, but at least one woman in our vicinity has been doing this for a while, giving out little religious tracts along with the candy. She dresses like a clown when she does it.

Obviously I think those Christians who are frightened of Halloween are getting worked up over nothing, but I have accepted her literature without complaint. I do the same when other neighbors hand out their political tracts (for a party other than mine) along with the candy. If you knock on people's doors and beg for candy, you can't really complain about what else they may give. It's their choice to give it, my choice whether I read it or not.

Our church is doing Trunk or Treat again this year. I noticed they specifically requested that the kids not dress in scary costumes, or those suggesting evil. Once, two or three years ago, they requested that the kids dress as someone from the Bible. I sent my daughter as the Witch of Endor.

In my opinion, keep religion and politics and whatever else unrelated away from Halloween! Enjoy yourselves, don't c r a p all over the fun by pushing things on kids.