Jack O'Lantern, such a pretty sight.

I think I've partially discovered why Halloween is so appealing to me.  In thinking about the true meaning of the holiday, I have researched the origins of Halloween and Jack O'lanterns.  Well, it all makes sense on a molecular level now, as the origins of it all are completely Celtic...as are mine.  I sort of knew that--all of that druidy stuff-- but not entirely.  The carving of gourds and other vegetables are more new worldly, as are gourds and most other vegetables of any worth, unless you're a big turnip fan.  The term, however, of "Jack O'lantern" is tied to a Celtic folk tale of an alternately wise and foolish, fastidious and lazy lad, Jack, who invariably but in unclear ways traps the devil.  When he eventually dies a natural and old-aged death, he ain't going to heaven (for he's made deals with Satan) and has been banished from Hell for his previous trapping shenanigans.  The devil tosses him an ember, and old lazy/shrewd/clever Jack carves out a lantern from a turnip and puts the ember there and sets about to wander for a restless eternity.

Halloween itself is believed to be the Celtic New Year, the end of summer (Samhain) being a more important time for collecting the last remnants of the harvest, counting the bones, preparing for a dismal winter.  It's not well separated from the Festival of the Dead, a time when the borderlands between the living and dead are quite thin and can be breached.  People dressed as spirits to either attract or repel them, depending on your position.  In a mysterious world these rituals surely proved some large measure of comfort.

Pumpkin carving is one of my favorite family Halloween activities, save for the scooping out of the slimy and stringy innards.  C began carving his own last year when he was 6.  I was definitely nervous letting him wield a knife.  Actually, last year I told him he could carve his own with the intent of a group/supervised activity and the nearly exclusive use of the little "child-safe" saws that come in carving kits.   As I was doing some preparations he went into the kitchen on his own and fetched a large knife and the next thing I knew he was going at it.  I suppose that might prompt some to call child protective services...but he actually did quite well with it.  He carved a simple face, seen here:

Really simple--one eye and one very large mouth.  But he did it, including the top opening and the guts.  He did his own again this year and carved a bird on a post that's in the shape of a C, and a witch seen here on the right.  That's a sizeable improvement in a year.  And that's another lovely and beautiful thing about a family tradition, is seeing the growth and development in your child from one pumpkin to the next.  S, the 4 year old, had very definite ideas about how he wanted his face to look just slightly scary, but not too scary, and sort of ghosty-gobbliny-like.  It's amazing how the degree of sharpness on the teeth convey a precise measure of sinisterness.  Seamus completely supervised his father in the carving of this joyful but slightly eerie masterpiece:

earnest eyes, raised eyebrows, round nose, massive smile, and the creepy part--sharp teeth.






On behalf of the baby, F, I spent an inordinate amount of time carving out intricate letters in the Curlz MT font along with a shaved out goblin face in relief.  I thought that the template picture was cute and it looked a little challenging.  Thank goodness we'd ordered a pizza for our Friday night activity.  Two hours and multiple dirtied implements later, we had this gem:

Seeds now separated and drying, most of the waxy goo peeled off of my hands, I'm ready for bed.  The boys are now asking for pies and the like from the pumpkins, though as C told me, he doesn't even like pumpkin pie.  I must confess it's not my favorite either.  I am hoping the Jack-O's just get covered by snow and forgotten/composted until next spring...not a bad resting place for the weary little lad.

Haunted Gingerbread House

Have you ever tried to make gingerbread? It is actually interesting and fun--if you are a baker type of person. I have tried various recipes and finally found one with the secret trick to make it relatively moist and pliable (though it still bakes up like a brick...thus making it suitable building material). It's melted shortening...which is sort of gross. But it does the trick beautifully, and moisturizes your hands while you roll and cut (wink, wink). When I've made it before without the grease, it is so dry it's not workable. I'm sure the dessication issue is in no small part due to the fact that we live in the high desert at 8200 feet elevation, which makes baking anything a challenge. But I love a challenge. Most cookies and un-leavened items may only require a bit more of whatever wet ingredient seems logical. Cakes and the like require advanced math to figure out adjustments, or use of the lovely Pie in the Sky cookbook (by Susan G. Purdy), which figures it all out for you and includes charts with every recipe for varying elevations up to 10,000 feet.

Part of the fun of holidays and home made is the opportunity to establish family traditions; it gives children predictability and anticipation, a yearly rhythm. Haunted gingerbread houses are a blast to make whether you tackle making the gingerbread yourself or buy a pre-made kit. My children look forward to this decadently fun activity every year, as of course, they partake in the decorator's dividend. I did the foundation work and C and S (ages 7 and 4) did nearly all of the decoration. S, who loves to be in the kitchen, helped with the gingerbread; after it cooled I glued the form of the house together and let it dry. I was able to use the extra gingerbread dough for both cutout extras (leaves, tombstones) and free form decor (ghosts and little ginger boys). I bought one bag of candy that had the pumpkins and candy corn, and then a few sprinkly type items for decoration. A little frosting/glue...and viola! We made a scene this year on a cake board and added landscaping. The trees are paper bags that were filled with sand and pebbles and twisted to make the trunk (you can use a bottle to make the correct trunk shape then remove and put in something weighty), then strips of the bag were cut and twisted for a creepy, bare deciduous tree. Salt dough ghosts were made with faces a la Sharpie; basically use a home made play dough recipe, mold into ghost shape with your little ones, and bake in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until firm. A few collected golden/red aspen leaves for ambiance, and off we go! We made this a week ago or so, and the fence just keeps disappearing, corn by corn.

Here is last year's version--made with an all-inclusive kit (I had an infant at the time so went for major convenience).
A fun way to work up to the holiday--enjoy!

Gingerbread Recipe (enough for 1 house + a few acoutrement):
2 1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 t powdered ginger
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1/2 c solid white vegetable shortening
1/2 c unsulphured molasses

Melt shortening in saucepan. Add sugar and molasses and mix well. Make sure the sugar is fully dissolved (this will take a while). Sift the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and ginger together in a mixing bowl. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the melted shortening mixture. Mix thoroughly. Shape into a ball. Roll the dough ball into a rectangle 1/4 " thick to cut cookies (you can roll directly onto the cookie sheet so you don't have to transfer the cutouts which can be large--a damp towel under the sheet will keep it from sliding). Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet in oven preheated to 375 deg F. for 13-15 min or until lightly browned.