The Great Pumpkin is Coming......

Here Comes Big Orange!This picture is actually what I have on my desktop and it makes me smile all the time. It isn't from the original animated Charlie Brown episode but it pretty much captures the whole idea of the "Great Pumpkin" and the essence of Halloween in "Peanuts-ville". Often I think back of Halloweens that have gone by and remember how my daughter would mark off on our calendar when her favorite Halloween specials would be airing. Of course the" real world" had to be navigated around these auspicious occasions! No one wanted to miss "The Great Pumpkin" no matter how many times you had seen it before. These were definitely the finer days of Halloween with my kids...the anticipation, the t.v. shows and the choosing of the most important treat for the occasion! I remember sitting at home alone waiting on the visitors who came knocking while the kids went out into the night with their dad, who by the way was also dressed up, in pursuit of that coveted sweet treasure synonymous with Halloween. When they would return to show us their bounty it was a scramble to keep their dad from stealing the best chocolate bars for himself.....the kids would always win! Often we would have warm cider waiting and a bowl of popcorn mixed with m&m's (the best way to eat popcorn). Dad would pop in a VHS of their favorite Halloween story, usually "Sleepy Hollow" and we would wind down the evening as a family. Traditions are hard to forget and often bring a smile and a tug at the heart. I love this time of year and dive into it with a new sense of purpose as I watch my grandkids dressing up and excited and the parents who were once those same young kids enjoy the moment and scramble to get the chocolate candy bars. I see "The Great Pumpkin" through their eyes now and it is still the same as it was with their parents. Time marches on but Halloween still creates a magic that never leaves, just grows......