Annual Pumpkin Carving 2011

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Hands down, fall is my most favorite of all the seasons.  There is so much to look forward to, my Algonquin Park Hike, the change of colors and the best of them all, my sister Ayen’s pumpkin carving party.  Every year for the last 9 years, my sister and I have invited friends and family to come over so we could all carve our Halloween pumpkins together.  We give the pumpkins and friends come over an afternoon and it’s pumpkin-carving frenzy all afternoon.  It’s always been entertaining to photograph, the flurry of activity around me.  From choosing the pumpkins, scouring over too many templates, cleaning all the seeds and finally the carving, I have a lot to take pictures of.  I revel at the faces that just glow with anticipation and determination as my friends and family dig in and carve.  It’s cheap gratification in the company of good friends, what’s not to like?

Over the years, we have added different things to the party,  from giving the kids pumpkin and ghost cookies to decorate, to assembling a Halloween gingerbread house, to rambling the walls belting out sappy songs karaoke-style (hey, I am Pinoy after all :D).  I also get extra pleasure receiving a birthday cake as the party happens every third Sunday of October.

This year our pumpkin carving party happened last weekend.  I could not decide whether to show the images from the past 9 years or just post the images of this year.  Maybe it might have been right that I post our party’s history next year when my sister and I would have a milestone that our tradition would have reached a decade.  But for some reason I feel compelled to post this now.  Maybe it is the fact that my little sister, Ish is here sharing the experience with us, making us three.  It gives me a slice of what I miss about home, family gatherings doing a very familiar tradition.  Ah well, most of the decisions I make in my life depend primarily on my gut instinct and this feels very right.  Hope you enjoy the slideshow of how my Toronto family grew over the years :).