I normally make Jack-o’-Lantern’s out of pumpkins using a normal knife.  This year I bought a cheap kit for carving pumpkins.  I found that it made a huge difference using the carver I got (pictured at the bottom in the photo above).  The top tool is for scraping out the inside of the pumpkin. ...

My neighbor Jennifer makes intricate Jack-o’-Lanterns for her four kids each year.  She lets them each choose a design and then she carves them out.    Of course, not everyone has the time or the skill to create jack-o-lanterns like this.  So, I particularly wanted to point out Jenn’s youngest child’s design pick.  He’s...

The original meaning of Jack-o’-Lantern was night watchman.  "Jack" was a term for any guy or fellow.  A night watchman was a guy who would walk around carrying a lantern making sure all was safe.  He was a Jack with a lantern.  They were also called "Jack-a-lantern" and "Jack-with-the-Lantern". The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has the...