Okay, so you’re not big on breaking out the butcher knife to carve a pumpkin and you don’t feel like dealing the messy insides. Who can blame you? This is especially true if your kids are really little. Still, you want them to have fun and enjoy some holiday decorating. Just make pumpkin pals instead of regular jack-o-lanterns.
Instead of carving pumpkins, pick up some in different sizes. Let your kids draw faces with indelible marker or paint pens, or paint on faces with washable craft paint. It might still get a little messy, but if you spread out some newspaper first, it won’t be too bad. It’s still not as sloppy as dealing with gooey pumpkin innards, and there are no sharp tools needed.
For a more dimensional look, glue on acorns for eyes and twigs for mouths. You can also cut out designs from Styrofoam, paint them, and glue them in place. Try gluing on some googly eyes. Make a cute face and then give your pumpkin pal a hat. A baseball cap, a cowboy hat, or a straw hat will work great.
There are all kinds of things you can do. Tie on a bandana or glue on some sunglasses. You’ll most likely have to remove the arms unless the pumpkin is small, or pick up a pair of those funny giant sunglasses.
You can also give your pumpkin pal some hair. Glue on some grasses, raffia, or lengths of yarn or twine, or pick up a wig from the costume section. Little girls can also add barrettes and hair accessories so their pumpkin pals have some style. Don’t forget to add earrings too! Glue some lace to the bottom of the pumpkin to imitate a lace collar.
*Another good thing about choosing these options is that your pumpkins will last much longer than carved pumpkins.