Here’s the truth: Christian peer pressure is still peer pressure. While everyone’s jumping on the latest “Christians shouldn’t celebrate Halloween” bandwagon, I’m here to share why authentic conviction matters more than trending topics—and how to make faith-based family decisions that actually stick.
Stop Following the Algorithm and Start Following Your Convictions
The Real Problem with Christian Social Media Trends
Let’s get real about what’s happening. When I see the Instagram algorithm pushing the same “boycott Halloween” content across multiple Christian accounts, my radar goes up. As someone who’s “very hyper aware of the Instagram algorithm,” I recognize the pattern immediately.
“Like sheep, everyone’s gotta fall in line. Everyone’s searching for clicks and engagement and wants to be—you know, it’s FOMO, right? They want to be in the know and they see that this is quote, unquote, trending. So they want to talk about it.”
The problem isn’t the topic—it’s the motivation behind jumping on it.
My friend even texted me asking if I’d talked about this on my stories yet, highlighting how much this has become the “thing” to address in Christian circles. But here’s what makes me different: I’m not creating content because it’s trending.
I’m addressing it because I see people making decisions based on social media pressure rather than genuine spiritual conviction.
The core issue? “I knew that people were, quite frankly, just jumping on another bandwagon, one that I quite frankly, highly doubt they were personally convicted by.” This isn’t about being against discernment, it’s about questioning whether your convictions are truly your own or just borrowed from your Instagram feed.
Why Independent Thinking Matters in Faith
My approach is refreshingly honest: “If you’re wearing black, I’m gonna wear white.” This isn’t contrarianism for the sake of it—it’s about authentic conviction developed through personal relationship with God, not group think.
I share a perfect example from my own life: when my father said I couldn’t get my ears pierced until I was 16, by the time I reached that age, I decided I didn’t want them. “Well, I don’t really care. I don’t want them. Like, everyone’s got it.
You know what I mean? These types of things, they just annoy me. Like, I don’t like when people just fall in line.”
This pattern of independent thinking extends to everything in my life: “I’m not a bandwagoner in anything. Not sports, nothing.” But there’s wisdom behind this approach. I recognize that “time is both mine and yours.
It’s our most valuable currency,” and I’ve learned that following trends often wastes that precious resource.
The reality is that many Christians are making family decisions based on what’s trending rather than what the Holy Spirit is actually convicting their family about.
My three core focuses—faith, family, and helping people earn income online—keep me grounded in what actually matters rather than getting swept up in every controversial topic that captures Christian social media’s attention.
“I want people to be independent. I want them to be free thinkers. I’m not a bandwagoner in anything.” – Maren Crowley
Create Consistent Boundaries (Not Convenient Ones)
How to Apply Spiritual Discernment Across ALL Areas
Here’s where I get controversial—and brilliant. I’ve done the research that most Christians won’t do. “If you know, you know, I’ve researched everything from energy harvesting to the origins of our cultural traditions. You know, I have talked all about Hollywood and deep dives on that whole world, right?”
My personal boundaries are crystal clear: “I do not do spooky things. I never have.” This includes no horror movies (my husband and I have been together almost 20 years and have never watched one), no scary books, and definitely no decorations.
I tell the story of a neighbor who literally rents a storage unit for their “demonic Halloween decor”—including a cauldron with a baby doll in it surrounded by a fake coven. “I just, I can’t. I can’t imagine that being like one of your monthly bills. Storage unit for your demonic Halloween decor.”
But here’s where I expose the inconsistency in Christian circles: “I also find it ironic that some of the loudest voices shouting from the rooftops, we’re not doing Halloween anymore…Those are the same people who fully embrace Christmas and Easter traditions.”
I break it down: “Maybe it’s the 12-foot skeletons or the witches huddled around the cauldron versus the white rabbit and baskets full of chocolate, but let’s be honest. Christmas and Easter as we celebrate them today are also rooted in pagan traditions.
Santa Claus, Easter bunnies, egg hunts? That is all paganism too, homie.”
The key insight? “Somehow Halloween gets singled out while all these other traditions get a free pass.” This selective discernment reveals bandwagon mentality rather than authentic, consistent spiritual discernment.
The Santa Claus Test for Authentic Faith
My family doesn’t do Santa Claus, and the family dynamics around this decision are both hilarious and profound. When my mother-in-law would say “oh, don’t forget Santa’s coming tonight,” my almost-four-year-old daughter would look at her like, “I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about, lady.”
My child’s genuine confusion is telling: “Grandma, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Coming where? Right? Like, don’t even have a chimney. What’s he gonna do? Like, open our front door sliders and come on in? Ho, ho, ho.”
But beyond the humor, my reasoning is theologically sound. Nick and I both experienced the embarrassment of finding out Santa wasn’t real when we were older kids (9-10 years old), and we remember the sting: friends with older siblings telling us “what are you, a loser?” It was genuinely hard and embarrassing.
More importantly, I connect this to faith formation: “One of the biggest things about having faith is you’re believing in something that physically you can’t see.” The Santa setup creates a dangerous precedent.
After years of believing in Santa—seeing “his” notes, the cookies eaten, the elaborate Elf on the Shelf performances—imagine my child’s eventual realization: “So all of that wasn’t real. Because then how can I say to her, well, believe in Jesus, little one.
You don’t see him. He doesn’t talk to you. You should believe in that. It doesn’t make sense. It literally does not make sense. And I think it really takes away from faith.”
The practical element matters too: “I’m not having my daughters think that some imaginary man can get credit when mommy and daddy bust their freaking tails to purchase these gifts. Like, I’m away from my children now because I’m back in the golf season 40 hours a week. Ho, ho, ho. I’m Mrs. Claus, right? Not this guy.”
The theological reasoning is profound: “If I’m going to have my child believe in anyone or anything that they can’t see and that gives them the greatest gifts, that’s the home they wake up in every day.
The parents that—their earthly parents, you know, me and Nick, the food on their plate, the safety, everything. Like, if I’m gonna have her believe in anyone, it’s Jesus. It’s not Santa.”
Build Your Family’s Conviction System
The Framework for Faith-Based Decision Making
Instead of asking “what is everyone else doing?” I teach parents to ask: “What does the Holy Spirit convict us—our family—about in our home?” This is the crux of authentic Christian parenting.
Here’s where I get nuanced and show real wisdom. Despite my strong boundaries around darkness – no horror movies, no spooky content, no scary decorations – I still let my kids dress up for Halloween and trick-or-treat. “Are you shocked? Are you horrified?” I ask, knowing many Christians will be.
I acknowledge the concerns: “Yes, I understand the concerns about Halloween, the decor, the creating the energy sources in neighborhoods. I’ve seen the viral videos about former satanic church members warning against these things.
I get it.” I even share my own discomfort: despite letting my kids participate, I still hurry past decorated houses during walks and turn down different aisles at Home Depot to avoid the Halloween sections.
But here’s my key insight: “Trust me when I say, I know what those occults do in the months of September and October. I wish I didn’t know. Sometimes I wish I just was like an ostrich and put my head in the sand.”
My knowledge comes from deep research during 2020-2021 lockdowns, when I “found out a lot of things that most people don’t know. Some people are starting to learn about it, right? Because the veil is being lifted.”
Yet I still make space for nuance in my family’s approach. My personal conviction against spooky content doesn’t automatically extend to every aspect of the holiday. This demonstrates what authentic discernment looks like.
Thoughtful, consistent with your values, but not legalistic or following someone else’s playbook.
The real test? “How do you know what is authentic conviction rather than trend following? That you stop leaning into social media to tell you what you should be doing by some random Instagram influencer that you don’t even freaking know from Adam versus having a conversation with Jesus.”
Why Energy Harvesting Applies to Everything
I reveal something most Christian content creators won’t touch: the bigger spiritual picture that makes selective Halloween outrage seem shallow. “What I find fascinating and what I think gets missed in all these conversations is that energy can be harvested, good and bad, from anything that captures mass attention.”
I break this down with specific examples: “The Super Bowl halftime show, a major memorial service. Yes. Even with worship music. Any event that gets millions of eyes glued to screens. Any event that gets a ton of people in the same room, what entities do with that energy, that’s on them. Right? But I’m telling you that it happens whether you like it or not.”
This insight changes everything about how Christians should think about spiritual warfare. “The enemy is manipulative. And he can use good things for his own benefit too.” I use a brilliant football analogy:
“Imagine your favorite football team and it’s the assistant coach who has worked alongside that head coach for years and years and then all of a sudden does something and gets canned. You think he doesn’t know the plays? You think he doesn’t know the hand signals? You think he doesn’t know your quarterback’s weaknesses?
Of course, that’s the enemy. Satan knows that.”
This understanding should lead to consistent discernment across ALL major events and traditions, not just Halloween. If you’re worried about spiritual entities harvesting energy from Halloween, you should be equally concerned about other massive gatherings and cultural events.
The bottom line? “While I understand being cautious about Halloween, I think we need to be consistent in how we apply this discernment.” This consistency test exposes much of the Halloween bandwagon for what it really is—selective outrage rather than genuine spiritual discernment.
Understanding energy harvesting helps parents develop a more sophisticated spiritual worldview that doesn’t get triggered by single issues but applies wisdom consistently across their entire family life.
“The enemy is manipulative. And he can use good things for his own benefit too. He was right up there with God—he has the playbook.” – Maren Crowley
Action Steps
- Audit your family decisions: Are they based on social media trends or genuine Holy Spirit conviction?
- Test for consistency: If you’re concerned about one tradition’s pagan roots, examine all your holiday practices
- Stop the social media spiral: Limit exposure to Christian influencers during decision-making seasons
- Create your family mission: Define what you’re celebrating and why before the pressure hits
- Practice the conviction question: Before making family choices, ask “What is the Holy Spirit convicting OUR family about?”
Bottom Line: God chose you to be your child’s earthly parent for a reason—trust that calling over trending hashtags.
