Celebrate Carve a Pumpkin Day

pumpkin carvingSometimes holidays make sense because of the popularity of an activity or a person.

At other times, even though a holiday is celebrated, the reasons for celebrating can be quite obscure.

Take “Carve a Pumpkin Day”, for example. Many people have never heard of this holiday.

Carve a Pumpkin Day is celebrated on October 31 just like Halloween. And, since this holiday is associated with Halloween, you would think it would be widely celebrated. Amazingly, finding information about the holiday isn’t that easy to do.

There may not be a specific day set aside for Carve a Pumpkin Day as people choose different days in the month of October. If you celebrate Halloween you’re more than likely carving a pumpkin. How can you make Carve a Pumpkin Day a tradition at your house no matter which day you celebrate it?

Start your own pumpkin-carving tradition by following these steps:

1. No earlier than two weeks before Halloween, start looking for a pumpkin as a family. Try not to buy it too early or it will begin to decay. Washing the pumpkin may help it remain healthy longer.

2. Plan your Carve a Pumpkin Day activity for two to three days before Halloween because they will begin to go bad very quickly after they have been carved.

3. Invite friends to bring their pumpkins over to have a carving party. You may want to have harvest-type snacks to enjoy while you’re busy creating your pumpkin masterpiece.

4. Before you actually cut into the pumpkins, let the children draw the faces they’d like on their pumpkins with washable magic markers. If they make a mistake, correcting it is as easy as washing it off and starting again. When the children are happy with the faces they’ve drawn, it’s time to let the parents start cutting.

5. To avoid injury, don’t allow the children to handle the knives or the candles unless they have a special “kiddie” carving set.

After the pumpkins are all cleaned out and carved, have a contest among the artists to decide which one is scariest, which one is funniest, and which one is the most intricate. Avoid calling one the “best” so no one feels badly that their pumpkin wasn’t chosen.

Instead of throwing the pumpkin seeds away when the pumpkins are cleaned out, roast them for an additional snack. You can fix them so they’re either salted or unsalted; whichever way you prefer them best.

Since you’re celebrating Halloween and planning on carving at least one pumpkin to decorate your house, why not celebrate Carve a Pumpkin Day, too. Make a day out of it by inviting friends to join in the fun. In fact, why not create a tradition of having a Carve a Pumpkin Day celebration every year.

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