Carving pumpkins was another Halloween treat at our house.  My dad always got a big one and a small one.  On Halloween afternoon, after I got home from school and he got home from work (he usually took off early on Halloween), we would sit down and carve them. 
 

     When I was little, I would watch in awe as he pulled out his pocket knife and went to work on them, transforming the pumpkins from plain orange globes to frightening demons or happy clown faces.  When I got old enough, he would let me carve the smaller one myself.  My early attempts were unremarkable but I got better each year.

     I continued the tradition with my own kids, getting a large one and a couple smaller ones.  When they were smaller, they enjoyed taking a plastic picnic knife and whittling away on the pumpkins.  However, they lost interest as they entered their pre-teen years; none of them really liked putting their hands in all that goo. 

     Each year I have a hard time deciding what sort of face or design I want on the pumpkin so, even though our daughters aren't into it anymore,  I still get at least two pumpkins each year.  That way I can make a frightening one and a happy one at the same time.  The last couple years I've been getting three.

     A couple years I've bought a 2-3 gourds and carved them as well.  They're a bit more difficult to carve since the outer skin is quite a bit harder than a pumpkin.  But the rather bumpy surface of the gourds and their unusual shapes tend to make great gargoyle and monster faces, even if they are a bit on the small side.  I often hang them in one of the trees with a candle or light stick in them so they are at or above eye-level for the trick-or-treaters to see.  Several years ago I made one of the pumpkins a "puking pumpkin."  It was such a big hit with the kids and their parents that I have made a variation of one each year since.

     My grandson is now interested in the pumpkin-carving tradition.  For Halloween 2010, he did a full-sized pumpkin almost completely on his own from initial design to finished carving.  He did a good job and both he and I were proud of his first effort.  Hopefully, he will still be interested in carving with granddad again this year and the tradition will continue.