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HOW TO LIGHT YOUR JACK O' LANTERN |
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 Candles
and Holders
Candles have been the age old method of
illuminating Jack O' Lanterns since, well, forever. Regular Votive candles, placed in clear glass candle holders
like the one shown to the right, are
safer, brighter and will last a lot longer than exposed candles. This
size candle is suitable for medium to large pumpkins. For small
candles you may want to use the small tea-light candles. Votive
candles and clear glass candle holders are available at most
department, hardware and art stores. If you use
candles to light your pumpkins, or for any other Halloween activity,
remember, to never leave a lit candle unsupervised. Never use a lit
candle in an artificial pumpkin.
Battery Powered "Candles"
Over
the years we've seen several different battery powered units meant
to illuminate your Jack O' Lantern's instead of using candles. This
is a safer alternative to lighting Jack-O-Lanterns in cases where
candles might not be safe. They can also be used with a multitude of
other Halloween project ideas!
Some of these battery
powered LED lights flicker just like a real candle. You'll find
available, at most drug stores and mass retailers, a tea-light style
battery candle. It has a silicone tip on the top that resembles a
single flame and flickers like a candle. You may need a couple of
these to light your Jack-O-Lantern sufficiently but they are
inexpensive, usually around 99 cents or less each, so use as many as
you want.
You can also find the big base
lights that come in multi colors or candle flicker. Usually found at
mass retailers and drug stores or anywhere that Halloween goods are
sold, they come in a range of prices but are usually inexpensive.
The Pumpkin Master brand is a good one to use. We've found it works
best and brightest. You can find it sold separately or in kits along
with pumpkin carving sets.
Glow Sticks
 Another
option for illuminating your Jack O' Lantern is to use one or more glow sticks placed inside the
pumpkin. This can actually produce an eerie effect. While this is probably the safest way to light a Jack O'
Lantern, most of the glow sticks you find for sale in stores are not very bright.
There are high intensity glow sticks, but they don't produce light
as long and are expensive. If you do use this method
you'll want to place your Jack O' Lantern in a very dark area, so
that you can see the light being emitted from the glow stick.
Safe
Pumpkin Light - Pumpkin Masters
 While well made, the Safe Pumpkin Light from Pumpkin Masters is a bit of a
disappointment. Even though the light they produce is bright enough, these
lights
simply blink on and off at a steady rate. No flickering or way to
adjust the speed, just blink on, blink off. Installing one of these in
a pumpkin requires you to press the base of the unit into the flesh
at the bottom of the pumpkin. Also, if you use any artificial
pumpkins, these don't work very well, as you can't press them into
the bottom. They are battery operated, so are a safe way to light
your Jack O' Lantern.
 Halloween
Safety
Never, ever, use an AC powered
device to light your Jack O' Lantern. Its just to dangerous,
particularly with some many safe lighting options available. Remember, any fire, no matter how small or protected
has the potential for becoming a large and potentially disastrous one. Fire safety should
always be the number one priority. Never leave a lit candle unsupervised.
Never leave children unattended with a lit pumpkin, candles or other
source of fire.
Have one or more fire
extinguishers readily available and see that everyone in your household knows how to use
them. Make sure your home has plenty of smoke detectors, that they
are properly installed and they all have fresh batteries. |
