Pumpkin carving has become an art-form, as you can see from pictures in the books and Web sites listed below.  But even if your Halloween creation isn’t quite ready for the local museum when finished, a carving party still provides fun and giggles for your family as you prepare for All Hallows Eve.  Though the custom has roots in British traditions, it was in the United States that it came to be an integral part of Halloween celebrations. Skilled carvers here produce intricate, fantastic pieces of fleeting art that brighten doorsteps and pathways all over America to welcome trick-or-treaters and scare away the “haints."  The rest of us have fun attempting to create a super Jack ---and, if there’s a good cook in the house, we might get a tasty pie from our efforts as well!