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New traditions, made by families like yours
The Great Pumpkin & the Candy Swap
Some children wait for the Great Pumpkin; many families trade part of the candy haul overnight. Here's how to make either (or both) feel magical.
Waiting for the Great Pumpkin comes from the beloved Peanuts Halloween special — where one devoted friend keeps faithful watch in the pumpkin patch. Families have turned it into a real tradition of their own: a cosy nighttime vigil and a small morning surprise. No rules required — make it yours.
How families do it
- 1Pick a spot together — a real garden patch, a balcony, or a corner of the living room with pumpkins arranged just so.
- 2Pack the vigil kit: blankets, cushions, a thermos of warm cider, and a flashlight for the bravest patch-watcher.
- 3Write a note to the Great Pumpkin (we can help below) and leave it beside the roundest pumpkin you have.
- 4Decide the plan: most little ones drift off long before midnight, so the morning is when the Great Pumpkin's visit is usually discovered.
- 5Leave a small surprise overnight — a little toy, a spooky storybook, or one extra-special treat — where the note was waiting.
A note for the Great Pumpkin