Happy October! (Or, as we say in the East Texas, happy fall, y’all!)

 

I love traditions in all seasons, but so many of them seem to have an inverse relationship between "time mom spends prepping” and “time kids spend doing”—carefully hidden Easter eggs are all found after a five-minute melee, and beautifully wrapped presents take only moments to open. (Let’s not even talk about the time required to make Thanksgiving dinner v. eat Thanksgiving dinner!)

 

Which is why every year I hold a pumpkin carving party. Pumpkin carving inherently takes time, and it’s time everyone can be together. We joke and laugh (and maybe stress a bit!) as our kids hollow out pumpkins, consider designs, and then painstakingly saw Jack-o-Lantern smiles. As the sky turns dark, we put candles in our creations and stand back to admire the spooky magic of the season.  

 

Sounds wonderful? It is. Here are some tips to host a successful carving party:

 

Choose a time. Carved pumpkins decay quickly, so I recommend carving your pumpkins within a week of Halloween.

 

Invite friends. Because this gathering involves sharp objects, it’s best to keep the group relatively small. Three families is our magic number. Have everyone bring their own pumpkins.

 

Lay a spread. Feed a crowd with a big batch of chili, or mark the occasion with dinner in a pumpkin. My 11-year-old daughter loves to make pull-apart bread in the shape of a pumpkin. Lean into childhood with “dirt and worms” by layering chocolate pudding, Oreo crumbs, and gummy worms. If charcuterie is more your style, add edible candy eyes to your spread. Or make it easy by ordering in pizza!   

 

Keep it cool. Because October is not quite sweater weather here in East Texas, toast the season with cold apple cider punch—combine 6 cups of apple cider, 1 cup of orange juice, ½ cup of lemon juice, and 1 liter of ginger ale. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and sliced apples and oranges.

 

Set up a carving station. Weather permitting, do this activity outside! Cover a table (or two) with a vinyl tablecloth and bring out trash bags for pumpkin innards. If your crew wants to sit on the grass to carve pumpkins, lay plastic sheeting on the ground for easy cleanup.

 

Assemble your tools. As a child, I remember spending half the night scaping down the sides of a pumpkin. No more! Get yourself a Pumpkin Gutter on Amazon—it’s a drill attachment that loosens the seeds and strings in seconds and even thins pumpkin walls so you can get carving faster. We use ours year after year and it’s the hit of the party!

 

Think beyond knives. We own a pumpkin carving kit comprised of metal stencils (think really thick cookie cutters) that kids can hammer into pumpkins for a knife-free option. They can mix-and-match eyes, noses, and mouths to create one-of-a kind Jack-o-Lantern faces. (Search for JUSTOTRY Pumpkin Carving Kit with Hammer on Amazon.) It’s safe for younger kids, and the finished result looks professional! Now that my kids are older, they prefer to use knives to freehand their own designs. Don’t forgot toothpicks in case kids get overzealous in carving and you need to piece a pumpkin back together.  

 

Let the fun begin. Turn on a spooky playlist and enjoy the carving. Remember, carving takes a while, and that’s part of the fun! Make sure to have tea lights on hand so everyone can see their glowing creations as it gets dark.

 

Happy Halloween!