Something Different: This Year, Consider Painting Instead Of Cutting

By Adrian Newby

    With Halloween drawing nearer and pumpkin patches overflowing with bright orange pumpkins, people are probably thinking about taking a few of them home for holiday decor. The problem with pumpkins in Florida is that it is hot, and if you carve your pumpkin, you have about three days before it will rot or be carried off by fruit flies. What can we do to avoid this plight? Paint them!
   We want to share the story of "Penny the Painted Pumpkin" with you. Our older brother, Atticus, once had a pumpkin from the church pumpkin patch. He named it 'Penny', and of course, he didn't want Penny to rot, none of us did. Because when you are 5 years old, the pumpkin has to live forever, right?
   Penny had a painted-on face to prevent rotting. This really worked well and Penny got a new coat of gold paint at Thanksgiving and became a beautiful fireplace ornament, next to a stack of wood. For Christmas, Penny went outside the front door and got a new coat of shiny silver spray paint which made it look lovely with the evergreens and wreaths outside the house. Well a long story short, Penny was painted pink for Valentine's Day and then purple for Easter. Finally, Penny got wet in a long patch of spring rain and rotted down to mush in a night. Not shortly after that Penny sprung back to life with a new vine outside the front door in the rock bed before summer. Who could have imagined that a pumpkin would or could last that long?
   So if you want to get the full bang for your buck with your Halloween pumpkin, don't carve it, but paint it instead. It could literally last you the whole holiday season.
   The steps to painting a pumpkin are simple. Put on old clothes or an apron and gather up your pumpkin, acrylic or spray paint, and some acrylic paint brushes. Design your pumpkin's face with an ink pen. Paint on the features. Be absolutely sure to use plenty of white to make the eyes really pop. You are gonna want to add lots of details, be sure to give your pumpkin lots of personality! If you feel like it, you can even add a straw hat, scarf, or other accessory as you like. Just try to think like you are decorating your very own Florida snowman. When you are done, you will have a special holiday decoration that won't rot for months, as long as you keep it dry and safe!
   We recommend displaying it on a plate, platter, or waterproof tray, so that when the end comes you won't stain your tabletop, table cloth or carpet. We hope you enjoy decorating your pumpkin this month, and that it lasts you a good long time. Because… "For the Record…painted pumpkins last a lot longer." You can still carve a face on it on October 31 if you want to put a candle in it, but a painted-on face will get you to Halloween without rotting down. You have about three days to enjoy after carving before they spoil, so make the most of it and paint your very own holiday pumpkin.