I don't think it's a sin, I just can't stand it.  I stopped celebrating/observing Hallowe'en about fifteen years ago.  I think it's a hyped-up media holiday where children are encouraged to be greedy and to shout at strangers (trick or treat!) in an effort to acquire unhealthy snacks.

If I have kids some day, they're probably going to hate me.

No "probably" about it Hilary!   It's a big event for kids.

To the original question - discussion of it is not avoided in our church, as far as I'm aware.  I don't think there's any sense of it being sinful - just a secular event at this point - mainly about merchandising now as Hilary says. 

All hallows eve is an ancient day, a scary time when people dressed in disguises to avoid the evil spirits hovering around--I think I read somewhere that All Saints is a church response to all hallows eve, with an emphasis on the good spirits that are around--the cloud of witnesses.  I don't think Hallowe'en is evil, just stupid.

If you think about modern society, and the things they don't like and don't participate in, (like church) and think about the reasons they give for that, and then watch them stampeding into Walmart to get stuff to 'celebrate' Hallowe'en, it kind of makes you go HMMMM?

Drat!

 I always did like to dress up, Hallowe'en offers a time when people won't be confused by my outfits lol.

As-salaamu alaikum

-Omni

Well, lacking Witch's presence I'll give this a go.  This is more or less off the top of my head.  If you lot want more info let me know and I'll root out my reference books.

Pagan's don't  generally call it Halloween, most Pagans refer to Oct 31 as Samhain pronounced Sowen or Sovvan. It's is essentially the Pagan new year.   The veil between the worlds of life and death are considered to be very thin on Samhain.  It's a time for remembering the dead.  It is also a time for recognizing the turning of the seasons: Harvest is over, Winter is coming, Samhain is the last big feast of plenty.  This is generally considered to be a good time for divination as well as the wall between worlds is thin.

The Goddess is represented in her aspect of the Crone and the God dies to be reborn at Yule.

Traditional foods are things like apples, squash, root vegetables, pork, venison, goose.

A lot of Pagans resent the fact that Halloween has been so utterlty over commercialized.  but this is no made up holiday.

Since Halloween is the Witches New Year, I believe Christians are best off not observing it.

However the name itself comes from the fact that it is the Eve of All Saints Day.  It is anoother example of Cristianizing an older festival.  I am in fact talking about the remembering of those who have gone before in Children's time.  And I may include some of the info about Samhain as well

Nov. 2 is "The Day of the Dead" in Mexico & a number of other Latin based cultures.  Wikipedia has a good article about it.    Our local Mexican restaurant has a special celebration which we've joined from time to time.   A very interesting rememberance - not something we really do much of in North American Christian society, as far as I know - annually celebrating our dead family members in a public way. 

 In Islam there is also the visit graves and say a prayer for the dead during...on...umm...It seems to be slipping my mind right now...it is either on one of the last nights of Ramadan, or during one of the Eids.

As-salaamu alaikum

-Omni

My little boys loved Hallowe'en and it was great fun to put the costumes together.  The candy usually sat around until it was thrown out...not much for sugar in this family, but the chips, peanuts and popcorn balls vanished!  HEY MOM!!!!

C'mon guys and gals.......its just foolish fun....  .....!!!!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

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Wow. I believe there are a lot of Christian things going on that Christians should learn about.

Yew slap a few Jesus sayings together with a covens motto, and ya gotcha self a pretty good philisophy goin' for ya

Gord said it best - the chrisiianizing of an event to remember the dead - Nov is all saints day so this eve of holy day = all holy eve - let the kids have fun and in church do the all saints day and let the pagans have their fun.  No need to mix them up.