I Smell Halloween

Nowadays, you're probably the one handing out the treats to the dozens of children ringing your doorbell (remember the days when you were on the other side of the door frame?), dressed like everything from Spongebob to Jigsaw from Saw (really when kids' costumes are creepy enough to scare me, it makes me question whether to give them any candy… like, why should they be rewarded for scaring me? I'm kidding but, seriously, I could do without the ghouls, gargoyles, movie serial killers (that Scream mask is awful too), etc.). Or maybe you're hitting some cool warehouse parties in your ingenious costume (I hear Hillary Clinton will be big this year), but whatever the case may be, chances are you're looking forward to a good time on Halloween.

And what's Halloween without some pumpkins? You don't have to turn your crib into a haunted house or Ripley's museum of oddities, but at least add a few pumpkins to the decor!
I know what you're thinking: who has time to get a big ol' pumpkin, gut the thing, and carve it to look like a Jack-o-Lantern? And how long before that thing will start rotting anyway? Well, don't even worry about all of that. Instead, go and get yourself some pumpkin-shaped candles to do the trick (pun intended).

The first candle featured above is small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, and it's the perfect addition to any shelf, console table, or windowsill. Made of ceramic and painted a shimmery silver color, the 4.8 oz. Chesapeake Bay candle features a cute brown velvet bow tied around the stem, from which dangle two glass beads and a bronzed leaf charm. With the top on, it's a cute but understated ornament; with the top off, this is a fragrant candle that mixes pumpkin and cinnamon scents for an inviting (and appetite increasing!) scent. And, since it's a nice silver hue, you don't have to retire this candle after Halloween — it can stay with you all through fall! In fact, you may want to consider adding a few to your Thanksgiving dinner table to give it some pizazz. Part of Chesapeake Bay's limited edition Harvest Collection,the pumpkin votive candle is available through November.

The second candle is a much more straight-forward pumpkin rendition by Slatkin & Co. It's actually the size of a medium-sized pumpkin (6" by 6"), and you'll notice how the ceramic is carved along the sides for a peek-a-boo effect of sorts. Now here's why that's awesome: when you take off the top, light the candle, and put the top back on, you have a nice Jack-o-Lantern effect. The scent is bewitching, like a piping hot pumpkin pie that just came out of the oven.

And on that note, I'm off to turn my pad into a nice pumpkin patch!

Chesapeake Bay Candle 4.8 oz. Ceramic Pumpkin Filled Votive Candle in Pumpkin Spice, $14.99; available at Kohl's stores or Kohls.com. Slatkin & Co. Orange Pierced Pumpkin Figural Candle, on sale for $9.75 (normally retails for $19.50); available at BathAndBodyWorks.com