Put Jesus at the centre of your family this Halloween. Try this recipe for ‘salt and light’ chocolate slabs

Halloween has never really been a ‘thing’ in my life. We never made a fuss of it whilst I was growing up, the day generally just passed us by, except one particular year where my dad decided to hang apples off strings which we had to eat whilst blindfolded.

My church neither condoned it nor encouraged it - it was always just a nothing occasion, a day like any other. Thankfully the secular heat hadn’t truly risen then, unlike today where October hits and everywhere you go is filled with pumpkins, Halloween stock fills the shops and windows and random stall holders on the market are even asking you if you’re all ready for Halloween yet, as was our experience on the first weekend in October. My children, without any hesitation, simply replied ”We don’t celebrate Halloween”,

”Oh, fair enoug,” replied the stall holder who promptly moved the conversation elsewhere.

 We don’t celebrate Halloween not because as a household we’re strongly against it, we don’t celebrate it because just like my childhood it’s just a nothing day. This was easy to do when the children were little and the day could pass us by without them noticing, however now they’re older they are noticing, and they are asking questions.

In our house we love baking and we love chocolate. It brings us together and gives us space to chat whilst we’re waiting for things to bake or cool down, so I thought I’d put together a little edible activity to help open up these questions around Halloween and put Jesus firmly in the centre.

“The Lord is my light and salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

Salt and Light Chocolate Slabs

You will need:

A bar of chocolate, or two (vegan, milk, or dark will work)

Pretzels

Sprinkles

Chocolate chips

Marshmallows/sweet

How:

Melt the bar of chocolate using your preferred method, such as in a microwave or in a bowl over some boiling water.

When it’s melted pour it over a flat surface such as a lined baking tray and spread it out quickly into an even layer, aim for around 2-5mm.

Sprinkle your toppings on top of your slab of chocolate and pop it in the fridge to set.

Whilst it’s in the fridge move your toppings into the centre of a space you can gather around

Use these to ask some questions, for example:

Pretzels: What’s salty in your life? What gets you annoyed or upset?

Sprinkles: Where can you sprinkle some love and light around in your life?

Chocolate chips: They’re strong, reminds us of Psalm 27:1, the Lord is the stronghold of my life. What do you think that means?

Marshmallow/sweets:They represent comfort. We don’t need to be afraid; it says so in the Bible verse. How does that make you feel and what brings you comfort?

When Halloween is all around us, when people are trying to spread fear in the name of fun, how can we bring that light and the love of Jesus into that situation?

I do not think that keeping it a ‘nothing day’ is the correct option, I do not know exactly what the right answer is. What I do know is that through continual prayer and open conversations with my children, preferably whilst eating sweet treats like the one above (!) we can navigate it correctly together.