Being a Christian in a Disney-minded, Halloween-lovin' world

Well, it's that time of year again. Our Disney vacation is now 6 days away. I'm excited about this trip - it will be Karen, Matt, Grace and Jack; Mom and Deb; and me, Missy and Hannah. Woo hoo!

Part of this trip includes a trip to Mickey's Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party. We did this (Mom, Deb, Miss and I) in 2004, so this is our second time. The first time we didn't dress up and had a blast. This time, since kids are going, we are having them dress up. Hannah is going as Snow White, Gracie is going as Belle, and Jack is going is Woody. Karen decided she wanted to be Elizabeth Swan, so she made her own costume and is dressing up. Miss is going to be the "Old Hag" from Snow White (in other words, the Evil Queen when she turns into the hag who gives the apple to gullible ol' Snow). 

The adults dressing up gave me courage to dress up as well. I wasn't sure what I wanted to be. I thought about being Pocahontas, but that didn't work out. I also thought about Wendy from Peter Pan or Alice from Alice in Wonderland, but I couldn't find those costumes. 

I started to think more about wanting to go as a villain. Now, this is pretty uncharacteristic of me. I'm one of "those Christians" who isn't sure it's wise to celebrate Halloween. I'm not even sure I want my kids to believe in Santa Clause because I want the entire focus to be on Christ. I don't want to send Hannah the wrong message, but I also want to let her enjoy the silliness of childhood. I see both of those arguments. Anything associated with "evil" is off limits (which is why my choice is surprising).

I think it's important to be clear with kids what we believe and why. Evil isn't funny, or silly, or playful. Evil is evil. 

But it's Disney, and the whole point of this particular party is to NOT be scary. Universal Studios is a stone's throw from Disney, and they're the park that's going to have "Howloweekends" or something like that. They are trying to scare you, whereas Disney encourages costumes for the kids, with restrictions. No weapons, no covered faces, and no spooking each other. You walk around the park, trick-or-treating in stores where the Cast Members (employees) give you gobs of candy, and you ride rides. There are special decorations, a parade, special fireworks, etc. It's a specially-ticketed event, which means you have to buy a ticket to get in (regular park admission doesn't admit you). It goes from 7 PM to midnight. 

As you all know from commercials, the characters walk around the parks for kids to pose with. It's rare to see many of the villains out on a normal day. At the parties, though, they are out, so that's the scariest the party gets. The regular characters, like Mickey and Minnie, Tigger, etc., - they all even dress up (so they have special attire for the parties). But on the party nights, you can find the Evil Queen from Snow White, Cruella De Vil, Jafar from Aladdin, etc. 

And, of course, Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. 

In my search, I found a costume. It's a witch costume. And I asked myself, is it wrong to go as a witch? Am I sacrificing my standards for some fleeting fun? Does dressing as a villain at a Disney party (two things that would send some Southern Baptists into a stupor) compromise my witness? In some ways, I suppose that, yes, it does. Can I say I have a problem with Halloween if I am dressing up - as a witch, no less? I have never dressed up as a witch, even as a child. I've been to two haunted houses in my life, one of which was put on by my aunt and her ex-husband. I don't enjoy evil. Halloween celebrates evil, so it wrong for me, as a Christian, to celebrate it? I don't know. I know we don't have to live lives of 24/7 seriousness as Christians. As my pastor would say, we don't all have to sell our homes and iPods and cars and go live in the desert eating locusts. We are called to live lives of holiness, to be concerned with what concern the heart of God, and to be His witnesses wherever we go. Can I be dressed as a witch and do that? Don't wait for me to answer; I haven't figured it out yet. But I am going as a witch, and I will evangelize if the opportunity presents itself. 

The idea of being a bad guy was appealing this year. I know my family knows that I know it's pretend. In other words, they get that I don't take it seriously, AND they know where I stand (my sister and I have had several passionate ;) discussions about these things). I recognize and respect that this won't be okay with some of my believing family and friends. My goal is to have a good time, not revel in the evilness, but just to enjoy being a Disney character at a Disney Halloween party with my family, some of whom are also dressed up. 

When I look around, I don't question the spirituality of other people who are in costume; I admire their willingness to throw out any concern for what others will think of them all decked up in a silly, over-the-top costume at a Halloween party geared 95% toward children. I have a hard time "letting loose" when I don't know what people will think of me, so I'm looking forward to being silly in a way that I don't normally let myself be. It will be easier to do given where I'm at at the time. 

Part of why I love Disney is that I never have trouble letting loose there. It relaxes me. I'm carefree, and while I still get irritated when people do annoying things, those times are forgotten, whereas, at home, I let them get under my skin. And then those things DO affect my witness. I get crabby, or selfish, or judgmental. 

At Disney, I am probably more polite than I ever am at home. (For the record, that's not good.) I feel happy. I feel no anxiety (a very big deal for me). I laugh - pretty much every 15-20 minutes - a lot. I remember hundreds, at this point, of memories that I've made with my family, like eating an ice cream Mickey Bar in Liberty Square on December 29th, 2006 with my sister at 10:00 in the morning. And her incessant craving for a hot dog all day that day. And taking silly pictures of me trying to pretend I was holding up a lighted Christmas tree about 1500 yards behind me so she could get a picture of it. And great food. And taking my cousin, who is practically my sister, and her family with us, getting to enjoy her tears of happiness and excitement. And sharing Disney with people in a way that makes it affordable for them to go in the first place. And Hannah waving at the princesses as they pass by on a parade float. And fitting on the rides and therefore not feeling left out (not always easy when you're plus size and some parks, like Cedar Point, think everyone is 150 pounds or less). And finding myself being generous with smiles, "pleases", "thank yous", and "have a good day's". And my mom welling up with tears as they played "Let There Be Peace on Earth" at the finale of a fireworks show in World Showcase in Epcot with the entire crowd around the huge lagoon singing at once, which made it seem like our world becoming instantly smaller and closer and generally more kind to one another, if only for 5 minutes. And the kindness of strangers who let you step in front of them in line for a ride so your family can sit together. And seeing how easy it is for a child in a wheelchair to receive the same amount of (although usually more) attention from Cinderella that the able-bodied, princess-dress-attired child does. And going out of my way to say hello to the Cast Members who work so hard to create the "Disney magic" that fans of the parks know and love. 

At Disney, I feel the innocence of the world, an innocence that our sin robs us of. Yes, people are still ugly. People cut in line, yell at bus drivers, complain when rides break down, judge some people, or are *too* tolerant of some others. But I go there, and I feel closer to God in a way. He allows me to enjoy something that has no lasting value, which is quite unnecessary but just very kind of Him. I get to enjoy riding amusement park rides and eating good food and watching fireworks and celebrating the vision of a man who wanted to make a place where families can be together, having fun and being carefree. So few places offer that these days. 

Disney is a place where I exercise my mental health. My first trip was with my big sister - my role model, my second mom. It was our first trip together without Mom and Dad. It was a celebration of big accomplishments - her upcoming graduation with her Ph.D., and my upcoming college graduation. We even did a cruise that trip. And you know what made it great? I think that's the trip where we officially, finally, became friends. 

So going to Disney is celebrating our friendship; it's enjoying this place that had gone beyond connecting us by our blood and helped us connect through shared experiences. That, to me, is very, very, very, very, very special. Had that happened in Wichita, Kansas, I bet I'd keep going back for more. It just so happened to have happened at Disney. Disney is "our thing", and we get teased, but we keep going back because it keeps feeling good to go back. 

When I come home, life is waiting, but it's less irritating, and that's only because my perspective has changed thanks to a week (or more) in my second Happiest Place on Earth. Many of my fellow Disney fans come home inspired to see the world with renewed eyes. They believe anew that man is good and wants the best for others and the world. 

It's sad to say - but they believe a lie. Disney "works" because it's a dream. As with all dreams, we wake up and face reality again. Disney is a business, geared toward making profit and retaining (and expanding) its customer base. Some people come home rejuvenated to change the world, to "have faith, trust, and believe in pixie dust". I come home and am quickly reminded that the truest way to have the feeling I felt in Disney World is to have a relationship with my maker through His Son, Jesus the Christ. As a Christian, I can't get something just by showing up like I can in Disney. I have to invest, and that takes work and time and effort - none of which Disney demands. There, you can show up and get. I gotta admit, that's a really nice feature. In Christian life, though, you show up and give. You definitely get, but usually only after you give. Disney requires no commitment; Christ does. Disney requires no sacrifice (money aside); Christ does (again, money aside). Disney entertains; Christ teaches. 

I love Disney. I don't love Halloween, but it's fun. It's much more so at Disney. :) But Disney isn't reality. And, what's more, Disney can never BE reality. Despite all the protestations and lessons and mottos people who work for Disney make to the contrary, as a human race, we are pitiful. We are not capable of greatness on our own. Mankind is NOT good. We are not inherently giving, or selfless, or peaceful. We war and we devour and we want and we take and we demand and we fight and we gorge ourselves on what comforts us. But what comforts us is what kills us. 

Unless what comforts us is Christ. I'm generally no better at letting Him comfort me than most, but I'm thankful God taught me long ago that only He can truly comfort. And I'm thankful, in an ironic way, that the fun and freedom and laughter at Disney fades so that it can't distract me from the Truth. If it ever starts to not fade, or if it ever does distract, it's time for a break. 

I love my God. He is my greatest desire. He challenges me. He isn't easy. In fact, He's pretty hard to follow a lot of the time. He asks me to change, and it's hard. Sometimes I don't like it. Sometimes I don't change. But He can inspire me to go and do. He can inspire me to dream big for Him and serve Him. He can challenge me to live for Him. Disney, on its best and most entertaining day, never ever could. He loves me in spite of me, and that's amazing. Disney buys lumber and steel to build new rides and restaurants, and it hires chefs and pyrotechnics aficionados to fill and thrill me so I'll pay to come back. God, on the other hand, gave His Son unto death for me at no price other than what it cost HIM to do it. I don't always believe that, and I very regularly don't understand it. But it's true. 

So there you have it. I'm a Christian in a Disney-minded, Halloween-lovin' world. 

Which is why, in 6 short days, I will travel to my favorite vacation destination and have fun. I'll also aspire to find the real Disney character whose costume I'm imitating and get a picture with her, since she's rarely out.

I've posted a picture of me in my costume; it came in the mail today. I'm trying to look tough and sinister, so don't mistake my expression for not liking it. ;) 

So, without further ado (since there's been pleeeeeeeeeeeenty already ;)), for your viewing pleasure - me, a 28-year-old woman, making a fool of myself in a costume as Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, looking forward to having a carefree time at Mickey's Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party: 

Oh, and for the record, my official #1 Happiest Place on Earth is home.