It's that time of year again - when there's a pumpkin at every turn and you can't walk into a supermarket without being met by a ghoulish array of costumes and decorations. 

But many Christians feel uncomfortable with Halloween and would prefer to keep their children out of the traditional festivities.  

St Mary's church in Thame, Oxfordshire, is hoping that a light-themed disco being organised in partnership with Cornerstone Baptist Church and Barley Hill Church will help take some of the pressure off parents who feel they need to let their kids join in. 

'I think there is a lot of pressure on families to do something to celebrate Hallowe'en in some way. I think we have a lot of families who are wondering if it's the right thing to do,' said Sian Stratton, family worker at St Mary's.

'Our stance is to say it's not the best thing for our children and we wanted to make a space that's accessible to anyone. If someone is feeling the pressure to go trick or treating they can come into this free space and they can bring a friend. It's important to give people the choice.' 

The three churches are not alone in offering local families a light-themed alternative this Halloween.  Churches across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire are planning Halloween alternatives that will instead celebrate Jesus being the light of the world. 

At St Michael and All Angels' in Sandhurst, Berkshire, family worker Angela Harper agrees that families can feel pressured to join in at Halloween. 

'There is a lot of pressure to join in with trick or treating and I think it's important to have an alternative to shine God's love over the community,' she said. 

With that in mind, her church is organising a Light Party using Pumpkin Heroes, a set of Christian family-friendly Halloween resources  from World Vision. 

Harper said last year's Light Party was a big success, with a treasure hunt in the graveyard and a prayer pumpkin crafted from paper that people could write their prayers on. 

'It was really successful last year. There was a real feeling of love and light,' she said. 

Other churches hosting Light Parties this Halloween include Christ Church, Abingdon, where everyone is being encouraged to bring a picnic tea before enjoying a time of worship, story, crafts, games and a celebration in the dark with glow sticks. 

At St Mary's Cogges, Witney, there will be hot dogs, games, pumpkin carvings, doughnuts on strings and apple bobbing.  Instead of carving scary faces, the children will be encouraged to carve smiley faces into the pumpkins. 

St Mary's Cogges' family worker Kirsty Morgan said: 'It's providing an alternative that isn't celebrating evil, but that is celebrating what's light and good. Last year the vicar did a talk about why we were doing it, talking about Jesus as the light of the world.' 

Holy Trinity Church, in Seer Green, Buckinghamshire, is hosting a feast with games and sweets in the vicarage before a treasure hunt in the churchyard and a short talk that will explain All Hallow's Eve, Jesus as the light of the world and the dark side of trick or treating.

The vicar, the Rev Cassa Messervy, said: 'We aim to equip them with the knowledge to make good choices. We then go to a couple of other houses to get sweets then we end at Seer Green Baptist Church (we do most of our children's outreach together) to toast marshmallows.

'For the first time last year, we did this before Halloween, mainly for practical reasons but we quadrupled the number of children who came, and we realized that rather than competing with trick or treating - a very safe and fun experience in our small friendly village - we were equipping them to go into it with eyes open.'