No Halloween season is quite complete without jack-o-lanterns and pumpkin carving.

Today’s pumpkins are much more intricate and detailed than those of days gone by.

There’s a bevy of ways to carve the pumpkin and there are endless options when it comes to making your perfect pumpkin carving.

Here are some top pumpkin carving tips from extremepumpkins.com:

• Choose the right pumpkin. Many pumpkin carvers like the taller pumpkins versus the wider variety due to the fact that they look more like the shape of a face.

• Decapitation or back surgery? Tradition has it to take the top of the pumpkin off, but the heck with tradition, right? You can also take the bottom or the back off. No matter where you open the pumpkin, remember to remove all the seeds.

• Cutting the plug. Decapitating the pumpkin is the toughest job around. You will need a strong blade. Some people prefer to use a drywall saw for this task. They are inexpensive, too. Cut the plug to a cone-shape, with a little jog in it, so that it come out easily and fits back easily.

• Scoop the goop. Some people prefer an ice cream scoop. Scrape around the sides, starting from the hole opening to the bottom.

• Draw the face. Use dry erase markers. That way you can erase if you change your mind.

• Use power tools to carve your pumpkins, if you’d like. A jigsaw will work and a rotary tool, also. You can also use an angle grinder.

• Don’t be afraid to use props. Look at the grocery store, hardware store and craft store.

• Preserve your pumpkin. They rot. Spray it with bleach cleaner to keep the bugs, mold and animals away.

If you make a cool pumpkin carving, have your photo made with it, or photograph your kids with it, and email it to editor@andalusiastarnews.com.