Last updated on November 19th, 2023 at 12:26 am
I love a good holiday tradition no matter what that holiday may be. When I got married I looked forward to the time where I would have kids to start my own family traditions as my own mother did with us. My two toddlers are now at the age where they understand what the holidays are about for the most part and can really get more involved in making family traditions.
Halloween is one of those holidays we really like to go all out. I swear the entire month of October, we are doing something to celebrate the upcoming trick or treat festivities. We baking pumpkin cupcakes, we visit pumpkin patches to pick our own pumpkins, we go shopping for coordinating costumes, we challenge ourselves (mostly mommy) to carve the most difficult, favorite cartoon characters the kids can think of, roast pumpkin seeds, decorate the house and it all comes down to the last day where we finally trick or treat.
Our pumpkin carving day is probably the biggest tradition of them all. After we have stomped through the pumpkin fields at a nearby farm and picked the perfect pumpkin we get them home to carve. The kids love gutting out the pumpkins and washing them to make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds to eat later. I get to work tracing and carving the pumpkins while the seeds bake and then we all settle down to watch a nice Halloween movie and eat our pumpkin seeds together. Each year, it seems like a bigger deal to them and they get more into the festivities with me as they get older. I absolutely love celebrating Halloween with them.
This year we even adorned these gorgeous Halloween t-shirts from Zazzle while we celebrated carving day. The kids looked absolutely adorable in their his and her style of the same t-shirt. Zazzle have hundreds of Halloween styles, designs and patterns to choose from. I think, I will be adding our Halloween t-shirt wearing on this special carving day to our Halloween family tradition. It’s like novelty Christmas sweaters for Halloween. What a great idea. I am a huge kid at heart and a secret huge fan of Harry Potter so my “Muggles” t-shirt was a perfect fit for me. I even wore it the other day with a nice black blazer and heels and got a lot of compliments on it.
I hope that my kids grow up and have fond memories of our holidays together and pass some of these traditions down to their own children as I have done. It’s a great excuse to get creative and have family days out at the pumpkin patch or messy play in the pumpkin seeds before you roast them for a delicious snack. Kids love doing something a little bit different and even my two loved dressing up for the part. They haven’t taken their Halloween t-shirts off all week. It really made the carving day feel like Halloween. The longer you can stretch out each holiday, I say the more fun you will have together as a family. It’s fun to celebrate things together.
Do you have a Halloween family tradition? Is there anything specific you look forward to doing with your kids each holiday as it comes around in preparation? I would love to hear your stories, comment below.
This Halloween the kids have asked me to carve them Lighting McQueen and Sofia the First pumpkins and well, I had to throw a famous Minion in there for myself. I love carving pumpkins, no matter how challenging the face is. I think I even got a little competitive when I was growing up with it. Last year, I carved Olaf and Doc McStuffins and the kids squealed with delight. Check out how to carve these characters below and please let me know what you think of my tutorial or give it a happy thumbs up.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
*collaboration post
Such a gorgeous post, we love carving pumpkins too (and loving your style and no junk pics too)-I love Autumn. Your children are so similar they look like non identical twins-amazing. My Dad always says Peter and I reproduce the same child although my kids look different in my opinion. Happy Halloween
Ahh thank you hunny so sweet of you. Yes they really are looking more and more like identical twins as MM gets taller. I think as they get older where the height isn’t a big factor like at 5/6 years old they really will look like twins. Everyone already asks me that. Love it.
That sounds like do much fun! We don’t really celebrate Halloween down under (I’m in NZ) though last year my son did go trick or treating with his cousins but it few and far between in finding houses who celebrate so we kind of just do a family hop. We definitely don’t do pumpkins! That is a foreign concept to us but looks like it could be fun! Messy but fun! In fact, I don’t even think we have pumpkin patches and not have I ever seen big orange ones like that here! Lol
Ps: Sorry for the grammatical errors, my phone loves to autocorrect me and I pushed post comment prematurely!
Wow, you’re pumpkins look amazing! We love creating family traditions in our home aswell. We don’t celebrate Halloween, but Christmas is a big one for us, and also our annual holiday to the south of France. Our kids talk about what we’re going to get up to for months before and months afterwards! x P.S. your kids are sooo cute, and you are one gorgeous mama! #Sharewithme
Love those pumpkins. We haven’t started ours yet but have been busy making decorations. Halloween isn’t a big thing in Holland but like you I want to pass on my family traditions so we will be having a mini celebration although my kids won’t go trick or treating here. #sharewithme
Love those pumpkin designs this year – they look amazing.. Love the children’s Halloween T-shirts too. So lovely to enjoy family traditions together 🙂
Creating family traditions has to be one of the nicest thing about having kids. Giving them all this pleasure and excitement.
My toddler is 2 and 3 months and it’s only this year that he gets excited about things like his birthday and the upcoming Halloween. We’ve made some Halloween crafts and have pumpkin ready to carve so we’re all getting into the mood. I’m not sure we’ll do actual trick or treating. On the one hand I think he’s too young and on the other we avoid sweets.
I love your pumpkins. I’m sure your kids were very impressed as well 🙂
What a lovely idea roasting the seeds!! This is the first year we have carved a pumpkin. It’s nothing on your efforts! I wish I was more arty! The kids look like they’re really enjoying it! Xx #ShareWithMe
Oh my word Jenny! You’re amazing at carving pumpkins! This year I’m thinking more about Christmas to be honest but may have to buy a pumpkin to carve, although I’m useless at it, teach me your ways! The littles look fab in their tops and I love yours (huge Harry Potter fan myself!) xx
I am a huge fan of Potter so it was fitting hahaha Oh hunny watch my video it makes it so easy to carve pumpkins I promise. I am not crafty so if I can you can do it. 🙂
I have never really done the pumpkin carving thing. Well, I have done it but it certainly not a tradition. I’m not sure about this year…. I remember at uni one year though, a friend decided to carve out a turnip (swede) as she didn’t have a pumpkin. She put a candle in it and absolutely stunk the place out lol! Not a good idea! Thanks for hosting.
What a lovely idea to have special T-shirts as part of the fun! I love family traditions like this! Memories in the making!!
Oh I love your minion! I tried Darth Vader one year which quite frankly was a waste of time!
Oh wow your pumpkins are absolutely awesome!!!! You are so talented. What creative designs. I adore the muggles t-shirt too. I’d definitely wear this with skinny jeans and boots too. I love Halloween, I wish we did as much as you, it sounds like you have such a fun build up to Halloween. I’d love it if we had pumpkin patches near us. It must be fun choosing your own. Thank you for hosting #sharewithme x
Hi! My son is on holiday next week so I have promised him we will do some pumpkin carving and painting together and he´s so excited. Our tradition is a Halloween party we´ve done every year since Oliver was born. We decorate the house together and he chooses friends and their families to come over and celebrate the 31st with us! I hope our pumpkins turn out as good as yours!
What a lovely Halloween tradition. I can’t wait until my two are a little older and we can do parties for it too. I love it. Happy Halloween.
We love pumpkin carving too! We are a little late this year but off to pick our pumpkins this weekend for some carving action hopefully! #sharewithme
It’s never too late to try my tactic it’s easy and fast. I promise. We carved ours a little too early this year but it was so much fun.
What lovely Halloween traditions! Pumpkin carving is our favorite as well. And, roasting the seeds 🙂 Your pumpkins turned out fabulous! Thanks so much for hosting #sharewithme x
Thank you so much Becky, so sweet of you to say. We love good family traditions. We had so much fun this year as the kids get older they get more involved.
Amazing pumpkins and great method of doing so. I am excited to start a tradition like this with my little guy. Thank you for sharing and hosting! #sharewithme
Thank you so much. I needed something to make it easier and help as I can’t draw. This did the trick.
we love Halloween too – these are very impressive carvings though #sharewithme
Thank you, B is getting more challenging with his request each year. Good thing I have a trick or two up my sleeve for them.
I love your tradition! I just started this pumpkin picking/carving with my daughter last year and we hope to continue it as she grows older as well.
MM and B are growing up so fast! I love their shirts (and yours as well). Perfect time to adorn them
Love your tutorial. We’ll definitely be using the dot method to make it carving next year. Thanks so much for sharing, Jenny & for hosting us on #sharewithme this week!
Thank you so much Maria, it was a great weekend full of Pumpkin adventures. It gets better as they get older for sure. Thanks for watching my tutorial too. Glad you liked it. Always like to pass on the tricks of trick or treat. 🙂
I know exactly how I want my pumpkins to look. They never quite turn out like I envisaged. Mine are far more pintrest fail! #sharewithme
Oh I bet they could be a big pinterest WIN if you try my cheat cheat way. I am no artist and I can do it. 🙂
Love the idea of the t-shirts and the family tradition. I am thinking that we should do that with our family – thanks for the suggestion. Also we are carving our pumpkins this weekend and always resorted to the “typical” carving but what an easy way to carve different characters. I always wondered how others had done it and thought they were just more artistic than I was. Thanks for the tutorial – looks fairly straight forward and I’m definitely going to try it this weekend with my little one. She would love having her favourite princess on the pumpkin she picked out!
It’s never too late to start a family tradition and let the festivities begin. It’s such an easy way to carve them I hope you will try something challenging this year too. I am NO artistic what so ever, I can’t draw a stick person. lol I hope you tag me in a photo on social media so I can see what you made.
I so look forward to a couple of years time when my daughter is old enough to understand the holidays! Currently she’s only 9 months old and has no idea what is going on but on halloween she will still be dressed ridiculously! haha. Your pumpkins look awesome by the way! #sharewithme
It’s fun as they get older and slowly start to understand each holiday and get invovled with it. We are still board line with MM but B is hilarious now on holidays.Thank you so much we had fun with them this year.
Very well carved pumpkins, which is something I did as a kid. Even so, but I’m gonna break your heart. I just do don’t Halloween. I really don’t like it so try to ignore it! Then again, it’s a much bigger thing for those from the other side of the Atlantic. Thanks for hosting #ShareWithMe
Yes it really is a big deal back home. I am a total scaredy cat so I don’t like the scary costumes and the spookiness but the festivities leading up to it and a good halloween party I am in.
Sounds like a great time! I love family traditions as well…and we LOVE Halloween in this house!!
#sharewithme
Thank you so much we love a good family tradition. I need to get more decorations this year for the house. Happy Halloween.
Those pumpkins are amazing Jenny! We haven’t done too much yet this year, we’ve got a lot of work going on at the house, so we can’t decorate the outside, and the knock on is of course chaos on the inside too… so I’m whatever the ‘bah humbug’ is for Halloween right now 🙂 I will find the kids Halloween t-shirts though!
Ahhh it was a fun challenge and glad they came out. The kids were so excited for them showing anyone that would come over. Too cute. Enjoy it however it comes out darling. Decorate the boxes hahaha Happy Halloween.
I love pumpkin carving. My kids are grown up now, but I will still buy and carve one this year. #sharewithme
Oh I think I will be the very same and buy pumpkins and carving them when my kids move out. Too much fun. I am a true kid at heart.
Halloween is absolutely my favorite holiday. And I feel the same about sharing and creating traditions with your family and getting everyone into the holiday spirit. We have been lucky so far with a warm fall and have been spending lots of time outside and on hikes with amazing views of the fall foliage. This is also the first year my 16 month old daughter will trick-or-treat which is super exciting (for me.. she will probably care less.. haha). We will just take her to a few neighbors homes and then eat all of her candy!
#sharewithme
Ahh that is great hunny. Glad you love it and traditions of holidays too. makes everything seem such a bigger deal then and more fun.
As you know, I think your video is fab! Such great photos, and Halloween is such a fun holiday, it has taken off so much here in the UK now. Your kids are gorgeous, and I LOVE your muggles top! #sharewithme
Ahh thank you darling. It really is taking off I am loving it as the kids get older and older too.
Halloween was never a big deal growing up, but I’ve always loved horror films and I used to get really inspired by all the house decorations and costumes you saw in US films set around Halloween. I’m really hoping we can create some family traditions as Marianna gets older. So far she’s just cried at every Halloween decoration she’s seen… 🙂 #sharewithme
Oh see I am the opposite I absolutely love Halloween and all the festivities. But I am a big scaredy cat and can’t watch scary movies at all. lol
What a fantastic activity to do with the kids. You are very creative and talented. My hubby and I normally travel north and take part in a big geocache event. However, this creepy event is taking a break this year. We are hoping that next year it will be back and our daughter may enjoy it as much as we do. Thanks for hosting #sharewithme
Thanks Helena, it really is so much fun to do each year. We love it. Good challenge too. Sounds like a great event hope it comes back next year for you all.
Love those pumpkin designs and those lovely matching shirts too, you all look amazing! We only do trick or treat on halloween, that’s all, nothing extra ordinary really… think I need to do more for the kids, just finding time to do it can be a struggle. Thanks for sharing this beautiful post! #sharewithme
Thank you so much Cheryl. It’s all just starting traditions now as they are still so young but working our way to bigger things now. It’s tough so I always plan far ahead. Or I am the same no time.
Halloween isn’t the biggest deal in Scotland but this is the second year we’ve been invited to a party. I’m super excited as my son was born on Harry Potter’s birthday – so that basically has to forever be my theme. So he’s baby Harry this year, I have toddler Hermione and then death eater 10 year old! I was tempted to make an owl costume but then discovered Harry Potter onesies!
Oh sad I love a good Halloween celebration. Maybe in a few years it will catch on. seems like in England they are doing more and more each year. That’s amazing your son was born on his birthday. I love that all his birthdays can be themed this. I was thinking of doing it for B’s and MM’s next joint birthday party. She can be Hermione. Lol
Love the carved pumpkins and the t-shirts. We’ve got no Halloween traditions as we don’t really bother with it as a holiday. But we have loads for Christmas and Easter. Have fun trick or treating!
Oh it’s never too late to make a tradition for anything. Go for it. Happy Halloween lovely.
Jenny I didn’t know you were a Harry Potter fan, why would you keep that secret! Haha, just makes me love you more and the t shirt is amazing. We love Halloween and although we get the boys involved in the picking we do the carving after bedtime so we can concentrate, serious business. Yours look so good and your kids are super cute xx
Oh yes, I read each book from the first moment they came out way before the hype and the movies were even thought of. hahaha How sad am I? Glad it’s a bonus for you. Oh yes I let the kids do the guts and I do the rest at the time being too young. lol Thank you for your lovely comment darling.
Wow Jenny those pumpkins are amazing!! I’m so inspired! I love reading about other people’s traditions so thank you for letting us in on yours xxx
Thank you so much. They were so fun to make. It’s great to have traditions for each holiday.
I like Halloween, too, though I don’t manage to do quite as much as you do. Always make a big deal with costumes – usually making a lot of it myself. I have carved pumpkins a couple of times, only as an adult, and enjoyed it, but not done with the kids yet as they’re still a bit young. I saw the Muggles t shirt on Zazzle & loved it too! #sharewithme
Oh that is amazing you can make their costumes it’s one talented I don’t poses sadly. Can’t beat a good harry potter tshirt.
I didn’t even know there were pumpkin patches in the UK! I love that the visit adds some nature to the holidays #sharewithme
Oh yes there are a punch now popping up at local farms. Have a google around in your area.
I am so jealous! I am not going to get to carve pumpkins this year as we are away all of half term. I love your Sofia the First pumpkin! You are so clever!!! Thanks for hosting #sharewithme xx
Thank you so much. Shame you don’t get to do it this year. Just do more next year to make up for it. Have a fun half term.
You are such a talented lady Jenny and amazing at doing these- I can’t get over how clever you are! Plus that is a gorgeous photo of your littles at the top. x
Oh Katie you give me way too much credit this is easy. Anyone could do it with my tricks.
Last year we carved a pumpkin for the first time and I loved it. But I managed to break the kiddycutter knife that was brilliant at cutting it, and I’ve not got round to buying a new carving set.
I guess we’ll be buying a small pumpkin or 2 and maybe trying something more complicated (or just painting them!).
It does confuse me calling halloween a holiday, because we don’t have one, it’s a normal day.
Oh I usually just use a steak knife unless kids get involved than the kits are a must. lol You don’t have halloween oh no… it’s my fave holiday bless you.
Oh my goodness, those pumpkins are amazing Jenny! I remember seeing yours last year and thinking they were brilliant. I really don’t think I could do them – I’d cut out the wrong bit! All your festivities sound wonderful, what lovely ideas! We don’t really do much for Halloween but I might try a bit more this year xx
Thank you so much darling. We love carving pumpkins and making a big fuss over them and our yearly halloween traditions. Oh you should make your own little traditions so fun.
Wowwee! These are amazing!! I finally had the chance to sit down and watch your video and I’m so impressed! These are definitely on my list for next year xx
Thank you Steph they were so fun to make this year. It’s so easy you could go get a pumpkin today and have it done in no time. 🙂 Good luck.
I remember your pumpkin carvings from last year! They are amazing x
Oh yes the Olaf and Doc McStuffins thank you so much. We love a good pumpkin carving challenge.
I love the t-shirts! Especially yours. I can think of a few people who would like to get that as a Christmas present. I’m not a big fan of Halloween but do think pumpkin carving is a true art form. I’ve never attempted it! Yours look brilliant, Becky x #ShareWithMe
Oh yes the Muggles team I love it. Who doesn’t love Harry Potter old or young? lol Oh becky I have an easy trick to carve great pumpkins check out my video. You could carve anything you wanted without being artistic. I can’t even draw stick people lol
Wow they look awesome, my kids go wild for anything to do with minions, just wondering if there’s something I could carve, similar to this, to display in my shop, but for a “all-year-round” decoration?
If you use my easy simple steps you can carve anything out of a pumpkin! They only last a week than start to mold though not sure about all year round. 🙂