Pumpkins…or once they’re carved— jack o’ lanterns, are synonymous with October and Halloween.

One of my very favorite October traditions is watching  It’s The Great Pumpkin, CharlieBrown  on tv. It’s pretty much considered vintage tv viewing at this point, but like all classics, it’s timeless and so relatable.

Vintage Poster

The great thing about this particularPeanuts cartoon is the introduction of the GreatPumpkin as the figurehead of Halloween! After-all, Santa has Christmas, and the Easter Bunny has Easter. Charles Schultz in a genius move simply gave Halloween its own holiday character—even if Linus van Pelt is the only believer.

Year after year, faithful Linus sits in the pumpkin patch on Halloween night, missing out on trick or treats waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear. Sadly, he never does. Discouraged but undaunted, Linus vows to wait again next year, certain…