Will You Be Celebrating Carve A Pumpkin Day?

Often, holidays make sense to us due to common knowledge.  On  the other hand, even though we celebrate a holiday, the reasons for it can be quite hard to determine.  One such example of this is “Carve a Pumpkin Day”.  If you are like me, you have probably never heard of this holiday before today.  Don’t feel bad, most people have not heard of it either.

The same as Halloween, Carve a Pumpkin Day is October 31.  One would assume that since this holiday is tied to Halloween, it would be enthusiastically celebrated and documented. We, however, did not find the creator, or the origin of this holiday.  Aside from E-card companies and calendar websites, there is little reference to this day.

People choose to carve their pumpkins when the whole family can participate, and therefore, a specific day has not been designated for Carve a Pumpkin Day.  If you are part of the masses that celebrate Halloween you’re more than likely going to be carving a pumpkin.

Want to create a Carve A Pumpkin Day tradition of your own?  Then just follow these steps:

1.  Do not pick your pumpkins any earlier than 10 to 14 days before Halloween.  Buying your pumpkin too early will lead to less than desired results when it comes time to carve them. If the weather is warm, refrigerate your pumpkin until you are ready to carve it.

2.  Plan to carve your pumpkins no more than three days before Halloween.  Why?  Because your pumpkins will begin to rot very quickly once you carve them.  You can help preserve them by storing them for the night in the refrigerator if the temperatures are warm.

3.  Have a pumpkin carving party.  Invite friend to bring their pumpkins over and carve them together.  You may want to have fall themed snacks and beverages to enjoy.

4.  Before you actually carve your pumpkins, use washable markers and have your kids draw the design they’d like on their pumpkins.  That way if they make a mistake, correcting it is as easy as washing it off and starting again.  The adults can use patterns to map out their masterpieces.  When you’re happy with the design, it’s time to start carving.

5.  To avoid injury, never let the kids handle the carving tools unless they have a special “kiddie” carving set.

After the pumpkins are all cleaned out and carved, line them up and have a contest and give out small prizes for the scariest, funniest, and  most intricate.  Avoid picking only one and saying it is the “best”, that way we don’t have anyone having ghastly tantrums because they felt  that their pumpkin wasn’t spooktacular.

What do you do with all the “guts” from the pumpkin you might ask?  Make a healthy snack of course!  Instead of throwing the seeds away when the pumpkins are cleaned out, wash them and then roast them for an great snack.  You can make them either salted or unsalted; whichever way you like them best.

If you’re celebrating Halloween and planning on carving at least one pumpkin to decorate your house anyway, why not celebrate Carve a Pumpkin Day?  You can even turn it into part of your Halloween festivities by inviting friends to join in the fun.  In fact, why not create a yearly tradition of rotating whose house Carve a Pumpkin Day will be hosted at.