Sarah Hart is a loving mother who has been a staff songwriter for major Christian publishers, an award-winning record producer, and a founder of the popular all-women singing group Daughters of God. She recently shared her thoughts on Halloween with us. Here is what she had to say ...

• "My favorite Halloween memory is the year I dressed up for trick-or-treating as a garbage bag. It was a big green Hefty bag; my mom stuffed me full of newspaper and tied the bag around my neck with some green ribbon. I think I was about 10, and why I wanted to be a bag of garbage, I don’t know. I must have thought it was really original. Anyhow, it rained cats and dogs, and by the time my sister and I got home all of the newspaper had gotten wet and had fallen out through the holes where my legs were. One neighbor asked me if I was supposed to be a piece of black licorice. It was so ridiculous. I stunk like newspaper ink for a week.

  Celebrating All Hallows Eve

  We certainly celebrate “Halloween,” trick-or-treat, and more in my family. For us, “Halloween” is actually more appropriately referred to as “All Hallows Eve.” It is the celebration before All Saints Day (some call it All Souls Day), a holy day in which we celebrate the lives of all the saints who have gone before us and have risen in Christ. I remember as a kid we just could not wait for trick-or-treat night, but we could never stay up too late or eat so much candy we got sick, because we always had church the next day! I recall learning about this night in elementary school; how long ago children would dress up as their favorite saint for the occasion. Somehow that has morphed into millions of little Disney Princesses (including my own little girls) and Sponge Bobs begging for candy. Still, in my own family, the meaning of All Hallows Eve and the celebration of those who now celebrate with Jesus have not been lost.
  I think that the same Lord who created this amazing universe and all contained therein created that unabashed, impromptu and endless child’s imagination, and what a wonder it is. I just love seeing little kids by the hundreds on trick-or-treat night dressed up, so excited, these happy pretenders, laughing and full of joy…how in the world could anyone not see the best of God in that?"