Gytha

Hi, can you tell me when do the pumpkins and pilgrims first start to appear on the doorsteps for Halloween and Thanksgiving day? They were still out when I stayed on Long Island near to the end of November but how soon do people start putting them out? I would love to show my sister and neice because we don't do anything like that over here - well except the pumpkin part but even those aren't really like the American version (though I have carved a few myself in recent years!)

veruca

Well, it kind of depends. In my neighborhood people really go all out with Halloween decorations. At the beginning of October you start to see witches, tombstones, spiderwebs and all manner of spooky decorations on houses and in yards. A lot of people don't put their real jack-o-lanterns out until Halloween night (for Trick or Treat) because the punk kids in our neighborhood like to smash them. Or else they place them out of reach.

The scary decorations usually come down early in November, but the "harvest" decorations of pumpkins, pilgrims, hay stacks, corn stalks, etc. usually stay up until after Thanksgiving (November 23rd this year).

Carving pumpkins is so much fun. We bought some carving tools last year so we could make really elaborate jack-o-lanterns. You can buy them in most grocery stores.

By the way, I will be in London this year (first time) for Thanksgiving. Have some pumpkin pie for me.

Christina

I live in the Washington DC metro area and people seem to put out Halloween decorations about a week before and sometimes keep them up a few days afterwards if they are really into that stuff. I have never seen decorations for Thanksgiving on doorsteps or anywhere on houses (Pilgrims or otherwise) in neighborhoods where I have lived, so perhaps that's a Long Island thing--and I've lived in Los Angeles, the Midwest, Manhattan and here. Thanksgiving is basically a low-key family holiday.

kam

When we lived in South Pasadena, we lived on the "Halloween Street". Neighbors really got into the spirit of the night. But, if you put your pumpkins after they are carved out too early they get ants and start to rot. So, probably just the day of Halloween.
There is a very famous Pumpkin Festival during the month of October in Half Moon Bay, CA. If you could be here for that it's great fun.

Gytha

Thanks everyone for your help. I'll certainly take them decoration hunting one evening.
I've never tried pumpkin pie, Veruca, but maybe I shall this year! I'm going to try to buy some pumpkin carving patterns in NY (I've got some tools left from last year) and try for something really tricky to carve! Wish me luck! I think I will then deserve to sit down and eat lots of pie after all that carving.