For the past three years, my family has hosted a pumpkin-carving party at our home. It offers our friends a great alternative to traditional Halloween-costume parties, which may or may not be kid-friendly. Here are a few tips for hosting a terrific pumpkin-carving party
Pick your weekend, and send invitations out early. I have learned that the weekend before Halloween is perfect. Having it too much before Halloween results in old moldy jack-o-lanterns sitting on your porch. People also tend to make plans for that weekend early, so we send invitations out three weeks ahead of time. Using an electronic service such as Evite for the pumpkin-carving party invitation is useful, as it can help you keep track of RSVPs.
I tell guests that I am providing chili, pumpkin pies, and mulled cider; perfect autumn fare. I make bringing a side dish optional, but people usually show up with something and we end up with quite a feast. Making the chili the weekend before the party and freezing it will allow you to focus on other things the day of the party.
Begin the pumpkin-carving party earlier than you would another type of party (say, 4 pm). This makes the event more family-friendly. Because it is such a nice time of year, we have activities set up for the kids such as washers, bocce ball, and lots of sidewalk chalk.
I avoid having my guests wear costumes (although this is an option), because many of my friends do not like to celebrate Halloween. The theme of the party is certainly pumpkins, but there is an air of celebrating autumn more than celebrating Halloween, despite the fact that we make jack-o-lanterns.
Remind your guests to bring their pumpkins to carve. I provide everything the guests need to carve their pumpkins, and paint sets to children who want to paint pumpkins. I usually have a couple little pumpkins on hand for this purpose. I also have an abundance of spoons, newspapers, sharpies for marking pumpkins, and trash cans for the pumpkin guts.
Guests can then also enter a pumpkin-carving contest. Each pumpkin entered is numbered and lined up on the porch. The jack-o-lanterns are then lit and the guests vote on their favorite. The winner then signs his or her name and date on a giant fake pumpkin which gets placed in my basement until the next pumpkin-carving party. This way we can see who has won contests past. I have a small prize for the pumpkin-carving champion. It may be useful to have two separate prizes, one for traditional jack-o-lanterns and one for the more intricate patterns.
Our evening ends out by a bonfire roasting marshmallows and telling scary stories. You can add your own twist to your evening to make your pumpkin-carving party successful. Regardless of what you choose to do, hosting a pumpkin-carving party is a great way to celebrate the coming of fall with friends. Soon, it will be something they look forward to attending year after year, like ours do.
