Move over Santa Claus! The Great Pumpkin has spooky gifts to hand out this season.
The other day, I posted a video of my little ghoul getting a gift basket from the Great Pumpkin himself and tons of people asked how they can incorporate this into their seasonal traditions. So I’m here to give you a quick rundown on how to introduce the Great Pumpkin to your family of ghouls.
Just keep in mind there are no hard and fast rules to this. Halloween isn’t like the other holidays. Besides dressing up and trick-or-treating, there aren’t too many tradition with specific things we need to do. So you can celebrate with the Great Pumpkin however you wish.
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So, for those that have no idea about the Great Pumpkin: He’s one of the spirits of Halloween. In “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” Linus writes a letter to the Great Pumpkin and waits for him in a pumpkin patch while the rest of his friends go to a Halloween party and go trick-or-treating. Linus is the only one who believes in the Halloween spirit who he thinks will bring gifts and candy to all those who believe.
So with that knowledge, here’s how you can introduce the Great Pumpkin to your kiddos’ lives this year:
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1. Read the book. Watch the movie.
Now, most kids don’t know a thing about the Great Pumpkin. So that’s where the classic book and movie come in hand. Read your kids the book and spend a night watching the movie. That way, it’ll be easier to get excited about the Great Pumpkin’s arrival because they’ll know what you’re talking about.
2. Choose the date(s) you’re celebrating
Now that your kids know who the Great Pumpkin is, choose the date YOU’RE celebrating. In the traditional story, the Great Pumpkin appears on Halloween Night in a pumpkin patch to the most genuine and kind little ghouls who believe in him. But here on Splash of Spooky, we know that Halloween is a yearlong celebration. And honestly, I don’t want to wait until Halloween night. so I chose to celebrate on Oct. 1. That’s the day I chose to give my son his gift basket. You can choose any date you want. Maybe the first Saturday of October works best for your family!
3. Write the Great Pumpkin a letter like Linus
If your kid is old enough to write a letter to the Great Pumpkin, have them give it a try. They can tell the Great Pumpkin what their favorite candy is and what they’re looking forward to this Halloween. You can pretend to mail it off or maybe even put it in a Halloween stocking! Use those letters for ideas of what you can get to fill the gift basket.
4. Get your gift basket ready
What is your little ghoul going to get from the Great Pumpkin? It’s 100% up to you what kind of gifts you give your little ones. Maybe a basket filled with treats, or a cool Halloween T-shirt. Or what about a spooky blanket? Here are some ideas for what to put in your kids’ baskets. And also, you don’t HAVE to make a basket. A little bag filled with cookies or a caramel apple is a great gift. Don’t feel like you need to go ALL out.
5. Plan how you’ll prepare for the Great Pumpkin’s arrival
Where is the Great Pumpkin going to put the baskets? We chose to do our basket giving outside. In the movie, Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin in a pumpkin patch, but if you don’t live near one, the backyard or even the living room will do. Maybe you can set the basket out at night like a Halloween Sandy Claws and have your kids wake up to it. Totally up to you.
6. Make it a huge deal. Go nuts on Great Pumpkin day!
When your kids wakes up to their basket, just have fun! Get excited. Again, kids don’t really know about the Great Pumpkin, so talk it up! With my son, I kept saying things like, “The Great Pumpkin stopped by our house! What did you get?” Just enjoy the moment. Kids love getting gifts.
7: Post on social media and tell your friends
Let’s make the Great Pumpkin a thing not just limited to us in the spooky fandom. Tell your friends and neighbors. Take some pics and share them. This is such a fun, wholesome thing to do for Halloween that not too many people do. Spread the Halloween joy!
Will you be introducing the Great Pumpkin into your Halloween traditions this year?
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