When it comes to Halloween, churches, families and things that go bump in the night are rarely on the same page.

One person’s treat is a trick to another.

Harvest festivals and "trunk-or-treat" events offer tamer options for little explorers.

"A lot of parents, when it comes to little kids, would like to make it more about the harvest without the scary piece," said Julie Yetter, principal of Christian Center School, which hosted its 36th annual Fall Festival on Friday. "And parents know that when they come here, all the candy has been donated by the people at the school and it's all wrapped."

But there’s no escaping the deadly aspects of the holiday.

Literally.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of North Idaho is celebrating a Day of the Dead, or Day of Remembrance, following its regular 10:30 a.m. worship service today.

"People bring a picture of someone who has died," said Rev. Tracy Springberry. "They bring pictures and mementos and place them on the alter during the service. It's a really meaningful and beautiful tradition."

Springberry said the honoring of the dead this time of year is an age-old Celtic tradition.

"This whole period between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2 is considered a time when the veil is the thinnest between the dead and the living," she said. "It turns out most world traditions have some time they remember their dead and they actively have rituals or ceremonies to remember the dead. It's a common human thing to do."

But some people condemn Halloween as an ungodly holiday. Pastor Jamie Morgan of the Life Church — Assemblies of God in Williamstown, N.J., shared her opinion in an October 2015 article titled, "Why Christians Absolutely Should Not Celebrate Halloween" on www.charismanews.com.

"This pastor does not celebrate Halloween and neither does her church," Morgan wrote. "Setting aside a day to celebrate evil, darkness, witchcraft, fear, death and the demonic brings disdain to God. Period. A Christian celebrating Halloween would be like a Satan worshiper putting up a nativity scene at Christmas while singing, 'Happy Birthday, Jesus!'"

In the 2016 "Christians and Halloween" article on www.gty.org, author Travis Allen writes that "Christians should not respond to Halloween like superstitious pagans," but with "cautionary wisdom" and "gospel compassion."

"Evil spirits are no more active and sinister on Halloween than they are on any other day of the year; in fact, any day is a good day for Satan to prowl about seeking whom he may devour," Allen wrote, quoting 1 Peter 5:8.

"Some people fear the activity of Satanists or pagan witches, but the actual incidents of satanic-associated crime are very low," Allen continued. "The real threat on Halloween is from the social problems that attend sinful behavior — drunk driving, pranksters and vandals, and unsupervised children."

Springberry said her church has no stance on Halloween one way or another and members of her congregation may or may not choose to celebrate it. But Springberry realizes social issues have had an impact on the celebration and she is saddened that the traditions of the day, such as of trick-or-treating, are becoming more and more limited.

"There's so much fear that it's been brought indoors," she said. "People are scared that people are dangerous.

"That's a sad thing to have lost," she continued. "We really don't trust our neighbors anymore and I think that's adding to some of the trauma we're seeing in this political election."

St. Pius X Catholic Church Father Roger LaChance explained that "Halloween" derives from "All Holy Ones Eve" or "All Saints Eve."

"It started as a way to honor the early martyrs, those who gave their lives for their faith," he said. "They inspired the early church."

Eventually, the Catholic religion began to recognize All Saints Day on Nov. 1 to pray for those in purgatory and All Souls Day on Nov. 2 to pray for all who have died, he said.

"November is traditionally the time when we pray for all of our departed dead," LaChance said. "It's a holy, wholesome thought to pray for our dead."

He said traditionally during these dates, people will decorate the graves of their loved ones. Other religious and cultural groups also honor and their dead with decorations, prayers and remembrances, such as in certain regions in Mexico that celebrate the Day of the Dead on Nov. 1 and 2.

Junior Briseno, owner of Toro Viejo Mexican restaurant in Coeur d'Alene, said in Mexico City, those who celebrate Day of the Dead — Día de los Muertos — dedicate one day to children who have passed and one day to adults.

"They go to the cemeteries and bring balloons, they decorate the cemetery area," he said. "For the adults who've passed away, they cook their favorite meal but they eat at the cemetery at the gravesite."

He said communities in Arizona and California host Day of the Dead parades, complete with sugar skulls and mariachi bands and low-riding vehicles decorated with flowers.

“It’s more Americanized now here,” he said of the local Mexican community's Halloween/Day of the Dead celebrations. “Here, it’s more traditionally dressing up and trick-or-treating."

Unity Spiritual Center in Coeur d'Alene is hosting its first "trunk-or-treat" event from 2-4 p.m. today. Unity office manager Jerilyn Whitaker said this controlled-environment format keeps kids safe while building community, unlike the alternative of kids roaming the streets at night.

"A lot of families are headed more into a central location for trick-or-treating nowadays," she said. "I think that's something that's just happening now."