New children’s book seeks to teach kids Halloween’s real meaning — and it’s not ‘glorifying darkness’
As Halloween approaches, families are bustling through stores, eager to find the perfect costumes and the spookiest decorations. However, Anthony DeStefano, author of the new children’s book “All Hallows’ Eve,” urges parents and children to delve deeper into the holiday’s true spiritual significance. DeStefano, known for his Christian-themed literature, aims to “reclaim Halloween” as a time for prayer, penance, and remembrance of the deceased. He emphasizes that Halloween should be more than just a festival of fright; it can also be a celebration of faith and hope, intertwined with the fun and excitement that children cherish.
In a world where spending on Halloween festivities is projected to reach an astounding $13.1 billion by 2025, DeStefano highlights the need to reconnect with the holiday’s roots. He points to recent tragic events—such as the death of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and a shooting during a school Mass—as stark reminders of the perils associated with openly expressing faith in today’s society. DeStefano argues that these incidents reflect a broader cultural hostility towards religion, fueled by a media landscape that often glorifies evil and darkness. He believes that Halloween, traditionally associated with ghost stories and haunted tales, has morphed into a celebration that can sometimes promote unhealthy themes if not understood in the context of its spiritual origins.
“All Hallows’ Eve” tells the story of children who encounter a mysterious woman in a cemetery, who prays for the souls of the departed and teaches them about the holiday’s true meaning. This narrative aligns with the Catholic tradition of Allhallowtide, a three-day observance that includes Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day, dedicated to honoring saints and praying for the souls in purgatory. DeStefano encourages families to partake in Halloween traditions while also educating their children about its origins and the importance of remembering loved ones who have passed away. He believes that dressing as ghouls or skeletons can serve as a poignant reminder of the hope that comes with the promise of eternal life, reinforcing that Halloween is not merely about the celebration of darkness, but rather about shining a light on the reality of life after death.
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Halloween is only days away, and parents and children are flooding stores in search of the best costumes and the scariest monster, vampire and ghoul decorations.
But the author of new children’s book “All Hallows’ Eve” is calling on families to search for something else: the true
spiritual meaning
of Halloween.
“By writing this story, I wanted to try to do my little part to reclaim Halloween for what it truly is: a deeply spiritual holiday centered on prayer, penance, remembrance of the dead,” said Anthony DeStefano, an author known for his
Christian
-themed books for adults and children.
“I wanted to give children and their parents an engaging way to celebrate Halloween in line with their faith without losing the fun, the mystery, and even the scary excitement that kids naturally love about that season.”
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DeStefano said he wants his faith-based book to put “the ‘hallow’ back in Halloween” as celebrations and spending hit
record highs
. In 2025, Americans are expected to spend a record $13.1 billion on celebrating Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation.
DeStefano says his message is especially relevant today, pointing to the death of Turning Point USA founder
Charlie Kirk
and the shooting at a school Mass at Minneapolis’ Annunciation Catholic Church, as reminders of the reality of evil and risks that can come with openly expressing one’s faith.
“I do not think these are isolated events,” he said. “I think they’re symptoms of a deeper hostility toward faith that’s been very apparent in the way Hollywood, the legacy media, the academic world, and the left have been mocking religion for decades.”
“Halloween isn’t about glorifying darkness,” DeStefano said. “It’s about shining a light on the reality of death, the fact that eternal life has triumphed, and that’s what makes it so powerful if we understand it correctly.”
DeStefano warned that modern culture has distanced itself from those roots. He said Halloween has become a “festival of evil,” and embracing the dark side of the holiday can be “fundamentally unhealthy.”
Halloween has long been marked by ghost stories, cursed dolls and evil spirits. Films and tales often center on exorcisms, haunted houses and witches casting spells from bubbling cauldrons to curse others.
He said that there has been a growing fascination within the media that “glorifies” evil and that this kind of entertainment can “dull our moral senses.”
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“All Hallows’ Eve” tells the story of a group of friends who stumble upon a mysterious old woman who sweeps graves in a cemetery every night, according to the book description. She prays for the souls of the dead buried below, who are stuck in purgatory, and teaches the children the true meaning of the holiday.
Purgatory is understood as a temporary and intermediate afterlife state that provides spiritual cleansing to souls before entering heaven, per Catholic doctrine.
In the
Catholic tradition
, All Hallows’ Eve, or Halloween, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day take place over three consecutive days known collectively as Allhallowtide, a time to honor the saints and pray for the souls of the dead.
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DeStefano said he’s not discouraging families from enjoying the usual Halloween traditions but urged parents to teach their children about the holiday’s origins and the importance of honoring the dead.
He said Halloween can also carry a message of hope. He said dressing up as a mummy, ghost, or skeleton can be a good reminder that Halloween is also a time to pray for loved ones who have passed away.
“If someone we love has died, if our grandmother or grandfather has died, someday we’re going to get to see them again in heaven, and we’re going to be able to run up to them again, kiss them, hug them, and feel the warmth of their skin and hear their voices again,” he said. “That’s what this holiday is about.”
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Politics news.
