It is very important to us to infuse magic wherever we can this year. We know we are so lucky to be able to do this, to even think this way. Rory was pulled out of school last February because of the pandemic, then he sat with us at home for months, met his new sister, drove up the East Coast, settled into a rental, then into my parents, and now into his “winter house” — it has been confusing and disruptive. He has been “isolating” for 1/7th of his life! He handles it like a champion, but considering he has a razor sharp memory, we want him to look back fondly on this time if at all possible. Leaning into the seasons and the holidays is one way to create some fun and magic. Et Voila! A pumpkin snake!
In Charleston, it’s typically so warm in October, one has to wait until the last minute to carve pumpkins because they rot very quickly. It’s a treat to carve them earlier in this cooler weather. The snake is made from 18 pumpkins — a dry wall knife turned out to be the MVP, making it very swift and easy. We used a drill to create the holes that make up the snake’s pattern. The most challenging part is lighting the snake each night, the back of each pumpkin has an access panel and we swapped our real votives for faux as they create a more consistent glow!
We added pumpkin paper bags (again with faux votives), glass hurricanes, and a slew of beautiful heirlooms to fill out the steps on the other side. The string lights enhance the glow and add an element of fairy dust overhead. The snake’s tongue is just a local, moss covered twig. Easy peasy!
