What color are Halloween pumpkins? It may seem like a silly question. Pumpkins are orange, right? Yet if you look around this Halloween you might see some teal pumpkins.
Yes, pumpkins painted teal. Not very Halloween-like is it? Well take it from a former trick or treater, Halloween can be a very scary time if you have food allergies, but the teal pumpkin is helping to make it a little less so.
Started last year by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), a national non-profit, the Teal Pumpkin Project is a way to signify that your house offers treats other than candy for your visitors. (Might I suggest temporary tattoos, spider rings, or Halloween themed pencils and pens? A bonus is some of these items can be bought in bulk and are cheaper than candy! Plus they don’t go bad after the holiday and you can hand them out next year and the year after. Added bonus: You don’t end up putting on the pounds as a result of eating the leftovers!) It’s a way to make all children feel welcome at your home. And it saves them the heartbreak of going through all their goodies later and weeding out what they can or cannot have. When I was a kid it always seemed like the “no” pile was a lot bigger than the “safe” pile.
You don’t actually have to paint your pumpkin teal to let your trick-or-treaters know that you are participating. (Although it might be a fun project for a Friday afternoon since the kids have a half day.) The FARE site offers free poster downloads. Print one out, put it on your door or window and you are done! (For those of us who are not artistically inclined or are pressed for time this is definitely the easy way out!)
So what color will your pumpkin be on Halloween? If you’re inclined to include teal in your display, you’ll make it a lot less scary and much friendlier for that kid with a life threatening allergy.
