It’s that spooky time of year! Purple lights, ghostly figures and bats disguise each door in the neighborhood. Halloween is just around the corner.
It’s the moment most children wait for as they crave candy more the closer the Oct. 31 gets. Candy is not the only thing they look forward to. They get amped up to carve jack-o’-lanterns.
“I carve pumpkins with my family,” Hope Granucci, a sophomore, said. “It’s a tradition that we go to the orchard, pick out the best pumpkins and carve funny faces.”
Pumpkins are the main décor to set up for Halloween. You cannot just put a plain pumpkin on your door step. Why not decorate it?
You can choose your favorite art pieces and carve it into the pumpkin or you can make your own designs. This is a way to have the family come together.
There are many activities you can do and places you can visit. Often, many people go to the orchards or local supermarkets, select their favorite pumpkins then return home.
Before making your way back home, make sure you have all the supplies needed to carve the pumpkins. Most places such as Walmart, Target and Michaels will provide you with the step-by-step instructions if you are a beginner.
It is usually helpful if you have children who want to participate. Be sure to guide them as they use these sharp tools.
At home, they tend to place an old towel, blanket or any cover over the dining table. People place a cover because pumpkin carving can get very messy.
Usually people place LED lights inside of the pumpkin to make it light up to make it stand out on the door steps.
“My family usually cuts off the top of the pumpkin,” Israel Flores, a criminology major, said. “We take all of the inside of the pumpkin out. After that, we take a marker to outline the picture or face we want to carve out.”
For DIY, Pinterest is a reference to get many carving hacks, tricks and ideas from. Overtime, pumpkins tend to get moldy or scrunch up. Even the night bugs seem to chip away at the pumpkins, ruining the designs you have carved out.
To prevent that from happening, Pinterest has many hacks. One trick is to use Vaseline, which you can purchase at your local pharmacy store. With the Vaseline, you want to spread the product throughout all of the open edges and the inside of the pumpkin.
Another trick Pinterest recommends is Clorox. What you want to do is get an empty spray bottle, fill it half way with water then add a few drops of Clorox. After you pour it, shake the bottle then spray the entire pumpkin.
Your local supermarkets and stores may sell the jack-o’-lantern spray. If you are on a budget or do not have time to make a pit stop, go on Pinterest and they will provide you with many tips and tricks.
“As we prepare to carve, we have goodies on the table for the kids,” Alexis Johnson, junior, sociology major said. “When I make jack-o-lanterns, I usually like to make smiley faces because it represents me.”
