Pumpkin Bowling or Pumpkin Rolling?

For most families the end of the Thanksgiving feast means either naps or some football. But in my family we all head outside for pumpkin bowling!

Technically it should be called pumpkin “rolling” because we really aren’t aiming for pins or anything, but who is going to argue with years of tradition? Especially when I am the one who made up the tradition.

It all started a few years ago when I had some leftover pumpkins that I had used for Thanksgiving decorations. My parents have this fabulous hill by their house and rolling the pumpkins down it seemed like just the thing to do. It is a private drive, so there is no traffic. The kids loved it! I loved it! A tradition was born! I get so excited about it every year!

We all love watching the pumpkins bounce, wobble, and jump down the hill. And the best part is when the poor things finally give up and explode everywhere, sending seeds and guts up into the air. Last July we even spotted some volunteer pumpkins growing on my parents’ hill. It looks like some of the seeds took hold!

But my favorite part is watching the kids’ flushed faces as they excitedly haul yet another pumpkin up the hill. The pumpkin is usually pretty big, but they are so determined. At the top, they send it back down again as they run after it. Kids always make things so much more fun. More work too, but definitely more fun.

Warning, those pumpkins can get going really, really fast. So be careful! Use your common sense. And I am not responsible for anything stupid you may decide to do.