A Christian Response to Halloween?

Arguments AGAINST Halloween

1. Halloween originated as a pagan holiday, and it's still considered the most sacred night for those involved in the occult. Much evil is committed on that night by people who delve into the evil side of the spiritual world.
2. Halloween customs are derived from pagan practices and carry with them all the symbolism that points to those dangerous practices. Children who carve Jack-o-lanterns, dress up in costumes, go trick or treating and tell ghost stories are unwittingly identifying themselves with the pagan practices from which those customs were derived.
3. Halloween encourages people's interest in the occult, promoting its values subtly and not-so-subtly. As Scripture says, everything is permissible, but not necessarily beneficial.

The argument for Halloween ALTERNATIVES
Whether we like it or not- Halloween is happening on the 31st of October. Question is . . . "Can we use it for ministry?" In Acts 17 the Apostle Paul used the culture and foreign gods of the day to introduce his presentation of the Gospel. While we have to be careful of the Halloween practices we participate in, we can also use the occasion to reach out with the Gospel and provide Christian alternatives for our youth to participate in and even invite their friends.

A couple of great articles on the issue of a Christian response to Halloween can be found at:
http://www.probe.org/history/special-days-quizzes/a-probe-mom-looks-at-halloween.html
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/OnlineDiscipleship/Halloween/halloween_Watt05.aspx
http://www.spiritwatch.org/occhallow.htm
http://logosresourcepages.org/idx_halloween.htm