There are three kinds of pumpkin people: those who carve them, those who paint them and those who believe the pumpkin arrived looking perfectly acceptable.
There is also the person with the giant skeleton in the yard, but that person has moved beyond pumpkins and into public performance.
Halloween decorating changes over the years. When the children were small, October involved costume negotiations, classroom parties and carving a pumpkin while someone cried because the inside was “disgusting.” Now the question is simpler: how much Halloween do you actually want?
The traditional carver
The carver believes a pumpkin should have a face and that removing its insides is part of the experience.
There is something wonderfully familiar about newspaper on the table, a bowl of seeds and the concentration required to create a smile with three teeth. The finished result rarely resembles the picture you had in mind. That is part of its charm.
Carving with grandchildren can be particularly entertaining. Let them draw the face while an adult handles the cutting. Their design may include eleven eyes and a mustache. Accept the artistic direction.
You have probably spent enough years trying to make things look perfect.
The painter
The painter would like to participate in Halloween without putting an arm inside a squash.
Painted pumpkins can be cheerful, elegant or completely ridiculous. A simple face, stripes or a few dots may be enough. A grandchild can turn one into a cat. You can turn one into something that coordinates with the living room.
There is no judging panel.
Painting also makes it easier to sit together and talk while decorating. Nobody has to wrestle with a lid that was cut at the wrong angle.
The tasteful pumpkin arranger
This person has three pumpkins, a pot of mums and a clear understanding of restraint.
The pumpkins may be orange, white or green. They may be arranged by height. There may be a small lantern nearby.
It looks lovely. It also suggests that this household will be handing out good candy.
A few pumpkins by an entrance can mark the season without requiring an entire afternoon of setup. For a condominium balcony or entry, choose a display that suits the available space and check any community decorating guidelines before putting items in shared areas.
The giant-skeleton enthusiast
Some people look at October and see an opportunity to express themselves at a scale visible from the next block.
Their skeleton has a hat. Their skeleton has a dog. Their skeleton is doing something the neighborhood will discuss at breakfast.
We should appreciate these people. They are providing free entertainment during a season when the sun begins leaving earlier and earlier.
You don’t have to want a giant skeleton yourself to enjoy someone else’s commitment.
The person who has retired from decorating
This is also a valid category.
Perhaps you spent thirty years managing costumes, candy and a plastic witch that shrieked whenever anyone opened the door. Perhaps this year you would rather take a walk and admire everyone else’s decorations.
You can enjoy Halloween without storing Halloween.
Buy a pumpkin if it makes you happy. Put out a bowl of candy if trick-or-treaters visit your home. Watch an old movie. Invite someone over for soup.
Choose the version you enjoy now
The best Halloween decorations are the ones you enjoy putting out and still enjoy taking down.
At Hill Farm Condominiums in North Oaks, or anywhere you call home, your seasonal style can change with your life. You don’t owe October the same production you delivered in 1998.
Carve it. Paint it. Put it on the porch.
Just don’t let the pumpkin become another obligation.