It irritates me to no end the way parents (especially professing Christian parents) outright lie to their children about Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and the tooth fairy. It is no wonder your children start questioning the things you say to them and stop trusting you when they find out you have been lying to them for however many number of years. Christian parents should know better! As bad as this is, what I find to be the most hypocritical is what parents do once a year.
Parents spend an exorbitant amount of time trying to teach their children not to talk to or take candy from strangers. Yet, once a year, they hypocritically undermine their own authority and teachings by sending their children directly to the strangers' doors in order to beg for candy. What a great way to confuse your children.
"Do not take candy from strangers, Billy! Do you understand me?"
"Okay, Billy, go up to the door of that stranger's house and say 'Trick or treat' so you can get some candy."
If parents were only doing this with the houses of people they knew, whom the children also knew, it would not be so bad. But when you are taking or sending your children to the doors of complete strangers, you merely expose the depth of your own hypocrisy and how nothing out of your mouth can be trusted.
Hallowe’en should not be practiced or participated in by professing Christians anyway. Yes, I am quite aware of the numerous ignorant Christians who will attempt to defend their participation in Hallowe’en, the same way they would ignorantly defend every other wrong deed they have committed in the name of "freedom" or "grace" (such as "witnessing" in a bar or strip club--Apparently they do not realize you can wait outside for people to leave and then witness to them.).
If you do not want your children taking candy from strangers, then have the intelligence to not participate in the stupidity that is Hallowe’en. Otherwise, if you do not care if your children take candy from strangers any other day of the year, then go ahead and send them out on Hallowe’en. Be consistent in what you say and do.