Pumpkin theft spoils carving night

To the editor: A couple of weeks ago, the adventure began for my family. The same adventure that we take every year … the search for the perfect carving pumpkins. My husband and I and our two children set out for the nearby pumpkin farm and searched the patch over and over until we stumbled upon the perfect shape, size, color, and, of course, stem. Once home, we clean the pumpkins off and place them on our front stoop and await carving night. A few nights before Halloween, we bring them in to carve them, and my favorite part, roast and eat the seeds. We pulled out the carving kit, choose the outlines to trace and set out the "gook" bowl. Our 3-year-old ran to the front stoop to get the pumpkins, and she was faced with quite a surprise … our pumpkins were missing. For the second consecutive year in a row, our pumpkins had been stolen. How do you explain that to a 3-year-old? Her quick-to-think mind thought that maybe "people thought they belonged to them so that is why they took them." She also thought we should call the police. We wandered back inside feeling empty, and quite disappointed. To whoever took them, you have let down our children who waited for weeks for carving night. You have spoiled a family tradition and left us with nothing to carve. Next year, I guess our pumpkins will have to stay indoors. Isn't that a shame!

Melissa Burlini Teuscher

Arlington Heights