Probing the Purple Pumpkin's Purpose

We've all heard of the Purple Heart, The Color Purple (great movie starring Oprah), Purple Rain, The Purple People Eaters, and even the less popular (and quite painful) purple nurple. But this Halloween, if you see a purple pumpkin on someone's porch, it doesn't mean they've had it out so long that it's beginning to rot. The purple pumpkin in the newest wave of color designation used to symbolize a certain meaning or message. But what exactly does the purple pumpkin mean if you see one here in the Capital Region? Let's discuss.

This year, if you see a purple pumpkin placed on someone's porch, it's a way for parents to know that the house is a safe location for trick-or-treating meaning. Most likely they'll be wearing masks and handing out candies that are individually wrapped.

I'm not mad at the purple pumpkin or any family that chooses to do it. And if parents feel safer as a result of it, so be it. But using common sense, shouldn't we all be wearing masks if strangers are coming to our house and shouldn't all candy be individually wrapped? I mean, purple pumpkin or not, if the Wilson's down the street give my kid a Snickers - no wrapper- I have bigger problems than the color of their pumpkin.

Assuming that not everyone will get the memo, a part of me wonders what kind of neighborhood response some people will get when they do follow proper CDC recommended protocol but only have a traditional orange pumpkin on their porch or lawn. Will they been seen as a threat or danger and be completely ignored? Only time will tell, but I feel like we're just a few years away from us having literally 12 different colored pumpkins, each color signifying different things.

See a red pumpkin; that house is giving out hugs. A green pumpkin; that family is offering career advice. Grey pumpkin; this socially aware family doesn't "see costumes" and everyone is welcome to have candy regardless of what they're wearing.

For now, I'm sticking with orange. Hope it's not frowned upon, but if it is I'll just say I didn't get the memo.