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Choosing Pumpkins
Jack-o-Lanterns are the most important symbols of Halloween and the celebrations are incomplete without them. They have a traditional association with the holiday. Carving Jack-O-Lanterns on pumpkins is a very famous Halloween activity amongst children and adults. People also use them as decorations on the Halloween day. It is very important to choose the right pumpkin to make the most alluring Jack-O-Lantern and carve it beautifully for Halloween. Here a few tips that will help you in choosing the right pumpkins for making good Jack-O-Lanterns
Tips to Choose Pumpkins for Carving
- If you are using market-bought stencils for Halloween pumpkin carving, it will be best to used medium-sized pumpkins. Make sure that your pumpkin is large enough and similar in shape to the pattern you have bought and that it is smooth as well, to make carving easier for you.
- For those who are not using stencils can go for tall and narrow pumpkins or rounded ones, depending on what they want to make on them.
- If you want to put many traditionally carved pumpkins on your sidewalk or pathway, you can use small-sized pumpkins, as they can be done fast and will make for an appropriate welcome scene for Halloween parties.
- Large pumpkins, carved with sophisticated and ornate designs, may make beautiful, repulsive or scary centerpieces for your Halloween dinner table.
- Make sure that you do not carry the pumpkin by its stem, because it may not be able to support the weight and break off.
- Pick your pumpkin according to what you want to carve on it. Having an idea of the shape you want to carve on your pumpkin will help you to decide the exact shape and size of the pumpkin you want to buy.
- For Halloween carving, pumpkins should be ripe and uniformly orange.
- Pumpkins that do not have stems or whose stems have come off can be inserted with toothpicks, to make up for the lost stem.
- Smooth pumpkins with no bruises, cuts, nicks, scratches, dents or gouges are easier to carve and look better as well.
- You have to decide whether you want the carved pumpkin to just greet the visitors to your party at the doorstep or whether you need pumpkins for holding pumpkin carving contests and parties that are quite popular during Halloween. Pumpkins are available in all sizes. While a very huge pumpkin may be a good idea to sit at your gate, tiny pumpkins will be best for Halloween games and activities, as they can be carved more quickly.
- Be careful while moving the pumpkin from one place to another and preserving it, so that it is not damaged and has a longer life span.
