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If you thought your Halloween was scary, talk to Justin Erickson or Crystal Roberts.

The two employees of Allen Press said they were fired Wednesday for wearing clothes or accessories to work that had Halloween themes.

A flashing jack-o'-lantern pin cost Justin Erickson his job at Allen Press.

Erickson, 26, wore a jack-o'-lantern pin on his dress shirt. Roberts, 22, wore striped orange socks and T-shirt showing Snoopy trick-or-treating.

Both failed to heed a company memo distributed Monday stating: "Anyone wishing to defy the instruction that Halloween will no longer be observed at Allen Press will lose their employment."

Erickson went looking for the showdown with management. He wanted to make a point. But Roberts said she was surprised to lose her job.

"I was expecting it," Erickson said of his firing. "I knew it was going to happen. I stand up for my beliefs. I don't think anyone has the right to push their religious beliefs on anyone else. If they're so worried about morale, wondering why people quit all the time, this is one of those reasons."

Rand Allen, the publishing company's chief executive officer, declined to comment on the policy or the firings Wednesday afternoon.

But memos provided to the Journal-World showed that Allen first told employees in September they wouldn't be allowed to celebrate Halloween.

Monday's e-mail clarified the policy: "Anyone wearing costumes, or modifying their appearance whether by makeup or change to their outward appearance to show defiance will have their employment terminated."

The memo didn't say why Allen had adopted the policy, but several employees said it was a mix of Allen's religious beliefs and his concern that past celebrations had interfered with work.

Erickson, who had worked as a mail proof specialist for 2 1/2 years, sent a company-wide e-mail Oct. 4 questioning the no-Halloween policy. He was reprimanded for the e-mail.

Still, he said, he received an "excellent" rating on his annual job evaluation given Tuesday.

Erickson said he normally wears a T-shirt and jeans or slacks to work. On Wednesday, he wore a dress shirt, slacks and tie with a blinking jack-o-lantern pin attached to his shirt pocket.

Erickson said Allen told him mid-morning that he "no longer worked for the company." Erickson said he didn't ask why, and Allen didn't specifically say it was because of the pin.

Roberts had worked for the company as a manuscript processor for about 15 months. She said she was in an auto accident Friday and missed work Monday and Tuesday because of back pains before returning to work Wednesday.

Though she knew about the no-costume policy, she said she was unaware of Monday's warning.

"I think it's really unfair," she said. "I was intentionally trying to avoid conflict. The guidelines were as long as it was normal clothing, and T-shirt and sandals are normal clothing to me. I didn't wear face paint, wigs or masks. I thought I was safe. If they didn't want us to wear orange or black or a shirt that said Halloween, they should've said that."

Roberts' supervisor, Susan Metzger, informed her she was fired around 3:45 p.m. Roberts said Metzger indicated her clothing was the reason for the termination.

Roberts and several other employees who asked not to be named said employees have worn Halloween costumes in the past. This year, the company's Morale Committee proposed a formal costume contest during the lunch hour.

Allen Press also has an annual Christmas dinner for employees.

"It's like saying if he was Jewish, we can't celebrate Christmas," Roberts said. "We should be able to celebrate what we want as long as it doesn't interfere with our work."

Roberts, rural Ottawa, plans to consult an attorney before deciding her next career move. Erickson, rural Perry, already had a part-time job as a cook at Massachusetts Street Deli, and the restaurant has agreed to hire him full-time.