The Great Pumpkin, that is.
Every year, for as long as I can remember, I’ve been watching the Peanuts gang as they celebrate Halloween. And when I say “as long as I can remember”, I mean that literally; It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown premiered in the fall of 1966, when I was barely three, and (presumably) before any long-term memories could be formed. Granted, this holiday special doesn’t pack the emotional punch of A Charlie Brown Christmas, but it’s still a fun tradition.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown really focuses more on Linus than Charlie, though you know Mr. Brown gets his share of story time. It seems Linus is the only one of his friends who believes in the Great Pumpkin, a mythical figure that is supposed to rise up from the midst of a sincere pumpkin patch on Halloween night and bring toys for all the good boys and girls. He spends every Halloween waiting to be proven right, missing out on all the fun of trick-or-treating and parties, but he’s convinced it will all be worth it in the end.
Of course, he’d rather not wait alone, but no one else wants to miss out on the candy. Besides, Charlie just got his very first invite to a Halloween party, so no way he’s sitting out with the pumpkins all night, even if his loot turned out to be more of the trick variety than treat. But Sally does finally relent, and waits with her heartthrob, though she’s ultimately disappointed, as Linus has been each year. Those Peanuts kids never give up, though; just like Charlie will always try to kick the football, Linus vows he’s never giving up on the Great Pumpkin.
And, Charlie Brown never seems to lose its charm to me, though I’ll admit my husband would be just as happy if I could outgrow it. But what does seem to wear on me the older I get is just how grumpy Lucy is. I mean, really, she’s just plain old mean. I don’t like it, not one little bit, and I seem to find myself wishing that just once Charlie or Linus would just reach out and smack her. I don’t normally condone violence, even of the cartoon kind, but some people just need a good slap upside the head. Or maybe that’s just me.
But, Lucy aside, I’ll still be waiting for the Great Pumpkin next October, just like December will find me hoping Charlie will finally find the true meaning of Christmas. Some things really are worth watching time and time again.
And, that, dear readers, brings us to the end of October, and the final entry of the 31 Days of the Small Screen. It’s been an interesting experience, trying to stay focused on one umbrella topic for an entire month. It’s given me a new respect for those bloggers who have more thematic sites and mostly stick to writing about similar topics all the time. I’m pretty sure I’m much happier just chatting on about whatever tickles my fancy on any given day, so, for better or worse, we’ll be returning to the much more haphazard approach more typical for these pages. Thanks for sticking with me.
Incidentally, this also marks the end of the Ultimate Blog Challenge, though I have to put that in the category of dismal failure. Yes, I posted every day this month (this will actually be post #37 for October), but the challenge also carries a social aspect, with everyone asked to read/comment on other participants’ blogs each day. Yeah, I pretty much sucked at that this time around. I’m working on getting better, though, so thanks for sticking with me through that, too.
Linking up with the fine folks over at ABC Wednesday; pop on over and peruse a whole passel of P posts.
