For a long time, Keene, New Hampshire held the world record for most jack-o’-lanterns carved and lit in one place. Life is Good teamed up with Camp Sunshine, a camp for children with life threatening illnesses and their families, to break the record.

Bathed in the orange glow of illuminated “Jack-o’-lanterns,” Boston smashed a world record in 2006 when thousands of volunteers lit the largest number of Halloween pumpkins ever assembled in one place.

“We have just busted past 29,000 lit pumpkins, this is so wow,” shouted John Jacobs, whose Boston-based T-shirt company Life is good sponsored the extravaganza that turned Boston’s historic Common into fields of blazing orange orbs.

Parents hoisted children high on their shoulders to have a sweeping view while some youngsters knelt on the ground inspecting the glowing gourds individually.

“Isn’t this amazingly beautiful?” Jennifer Barragan asked her friend as she caught sight a multitiered structure that held thousands of pumpkins and anchored the exhibition.

The finished the night with a world record when a total of 30,128 jack-o’-lanterns were simultaneously lit.

After all the “oohs” and “ahhs,” many visitors had one more stop to make. “Pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie,” shouted toddlers Max and Barbara, dragging their mother to the tent that sold the seasonal pastries made with the pumpkins’ flesh.

Ah fall. It seems the weather barely begins to shift, and all of a sudden there are gourds decorating every table and

pumpkin flavored everything added to the menu (not that I’m complaining on the last part). But as seasonal decoration begins to crop up all over the place, we find ourselves asking the same question we always do; isn’t it a little early to start decorating for Halloween?

And what should the answer be? No, no it isn’t. If Halloween and decorating make you feel happy, then do it! If looking through costume websites all year makes you smile and feel warm inside, then why not? I’d rather be early for any occasion than late.

Halloween especially; all the costumes will be gone before you know it, all the good decorations snached up, including pumpkins. Now lets take a minute to ask yourself; do you really want to be the last in line to get their pumkin and end up with one that look like this:

Now I’m not saying that it should be all your life revolves around, but a good way to keep track up the upcoming Halloween season effortlessly are these nifty tickers by Costume Cauldron. You can put them on your blog, myspace page or anywhere else you can think of.

As Halloween approaches, the trees have shed their leaves, but jack-o-lanterns have sprouted up on porches and in yards.

Elise and Louis are getting ready to go out trick or treating for candies and other goodies. Elise is dressed as a witch and Louis as Batman. Their mother has made their costumes. She has remembered to use fire-resistant fabric, which is recommended since it is not easily flammable. And despite the fact that the real Batman and a real witch have a cape, Elise and Louis are not wearing one. Pieces of fabric that trail low to the ground ignite easily if they come into contact with decorations that use candles.

Good, they’re ready! Their dad is going with them to make the rounds. They each have a flashlight and their dad will be following closely behind. Before they leave, Mom has a few last minute reminders: watch for cars and look carefully where you’re walking. If your costume catches fire, do what you learned in school: stop, drop to the ground, use your hands to cover your face and roll on the ground to smother the flames. How about a little practice before you leave? Good, the children clearly understand!

While the children and their father are gone, Mother admires the decorations of the neighboring homes and waits for visits from the ghosts and goblins who will surely be stopping by for treats. The neighbor across the street has set up a jack-o-lantern near the front door. He has used a candle to light it from the inside. The flickering flame creates an eerie glow, but danger lurks in the presence of fire! The jack-o-lantern should be placed away from flammable material. Fortunately, the jack-o-lantern is not placed near the bales of straw that decorate the front yard. Mother has decided to use small lights for her decoration and has checked the current capacity of the electrical outlets and extension cords. She has chosen to avoid using candles. What’s more, some children have loose fitting costumes that could catch fire instantly. And although the cat of the house may not be black, it can still bring bad luck if it topples over jack-o-lanterns… so could the wind for that matter!

The neighborhood has truly gone all out this year and everyone has used their imagination: gravestones, witches in trees, ghosts in windows, skeletons, spiders and other traditional ghoulish inspirations. Dried flowers, corn stalks and crepe decorations can be very ornate, but also extremely flammable. If you use them, make sure that they are not placed near flames or heat sources such as light bulbs and indoors, keep them away from electric baseboard heaters.

The front yard of the house at the end of the street is teeming with decorations. Bales of straw and a scarecrow take up most of space on the front doorstep. The owner must be unaware that exits should remain free of decorations or objects that could cause obstruction if the occupants have to flee from their home in a fire. This should be pointed out to him. If a fire starts in all that, he will have good reason to be frightened!

The end of October is also a time when we set our clocks back an hour. This gives us a little bit more time to sleep in the morning. While we are taking the time to change our clocks, we should also check our smoke alarms and battery.

Oh! The goblins are here with their bags. They’re so adorable. You can’t tell them that of course… they’re supposed to be scary!

Happy Halloween!

***NOTE***Be sure to play this Halloween Safety Game with your children to make sure they are being the safest they can be on Halloween.