I Decided to Carve A Jack O’Lantern Last Night

Last Updated on September 29, 2023

While shopping around Target for a new umbrella, I passed by a crate of pumpkins and stopped to look at them. When I saw that one pumpkin was only $3.99, I decided to buy one just for the heck of it. Whether I carved it or used it as a fall harvest decoration, I knew I’d find a purpose for it.

As I waited in line to pay, I noticed someone had put down a cheap pumpkin carving toolkit near the register. I picked it up to inspect what it came with and next thing you know, yet another unplanned item was in my basket ready for check out.

It’s been so many years since I’ve carved a pumpkin. I suppose my recent trip to the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze and knowing that tomorrow is Halloween got me in the pumpkin-carving spirit. I started thinking about what I could carve and where I’d put the pumpkin. Living in a college dorm really limits your options. You either appreciate the pumpkin from the comfort of your small dorm room or let it sit outside in the hallway with the risk of people destroying it.

To my surprise, carving a pumpkin was SIGNIFICANTLY easier than I remember it being when I was just a kid. I vividly remember being repulsed by the inside of the pumpkin (it’s not so bad) and struggling to cut through the pumpkin itself (that wasn’t too difficult either). It was strange to compare my experience then to now.

I did everything I could remember: cut out the top, scrape out the gooey insides, poke out a design, and carve. I decided I was going to place my pumpkin in the hallway despite the risks. If someone destroys it, so be it. Halloween is only a day away anyhow. I can only hope people will appreciate it and let it be.

I actually considered carving out, “RA” (short for Resident Assistant) and leaving it next to my door but I feared that would give students more of a reason to abuse my helpless pumpkin. I opted for a safer and more Halloween-themed design. I carved a Jack O’Lantern.

Considering I did all of this in just half an hour with little planning and almost no recent pumpkin-carving experience, I was really pleased with how it came out!

My Jack O’Lantern now resides beside my door with an open-top tissue box filled with free candy for my residents. I’m pretty sure one person took all of the candy ten minutes after I put it out but that’s to be expected in a college dorm. It’s the thought that counts, I tell myself.

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