The magic is lost from our era, people. Go to a pot luck and the table is likely to be populated by frozen savory treats from the grocery store.
Bring a dessert? Oh, here’s one I got at the bakery.
Halloween costumes hand made? When I can get a Transformers costume for $6 at Costco? Not likely.
We are all about instant gratification, and someone has figured out a way to commodify what we need to a point where the price makes it not worth the effort. Even pumpkin carving at Halloween is a cottage industry with websites selling all sorts of templates to carve. What used to be the domain of the truly artistic, now is possible by anyone with reasonable knife skills.
This year, I forgot to Google up a jack-o-lantern template. So I went old school with triangles and squares and then inspiration hit me: have Zacharie draw on the pumpkin what he wanted carved.
What resulted is, easily, the best pumpkin carving template.
I was having him describe how he wanted it done and then inspiration hit me – I just had my son draw on the pumpkin with crayons and I cut it out.
One of the teeth was a little too close, so I chopped it off, but that’s still my son’s handiwork on our jack-o-lantern this year.
Sure, with the internet you can pursue a Pinterest perfect pumpkin, but there’s nothing like the authentic imperfection of a child’s drawing.
