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Irish legend has it that the original evil spirit was that of "Jack the Stingy," a selfish and mean-spirited man who liked to play tricks on people. He was so devious that he succeeded in tricking the devil.

Stories vary, but one popular version goes like this: Jack got the devil to climb a tree; He then put crosses all around the tree, making it impossible for the devil to come down.

Knowing that he hadn't lived the most pure of lives, Jack made a deal with the devil. He would agree to let the devil down if the devil would agree not to take Jack's soul upon his death.

The devil agreed and Jack removed the crosses, letting him out of the tree.

When Jack died the devil kept his word and did not take Jack's soul. He did, however, get the better of him. The devil forced Jack's soul to wander the earth for all eternity with only a lantern to light his way. Jack's spirit has since spent its time wandering the world, glowing lantern in hand, while continuing his tricks on unsuspecting people.

As a result, Jack became known as Jack-of-the-Lantern which has morphed into the modern day Jack o'lantern.

Fall was thought to be the time when moving between the real world and the spirit world was easiest. Gourds, turnips and potatoes were originally used for carving the lanterns. Lumps of coal set inside kept them glowing through the night.

The carved and glowing vegetables were placed in windows and doors as protection from the tricks of Jack-of-the-Lantern and other spirits.

It wasn't until Europeans came to North America that pumpkins - which are a fruit not a vegetable - were used. Native Americans introduced pumpkins to Europeans who quickly realized the larger, softer fruits were easier to carve.

Get decorating

Carving and decorating your own legendary pumpkins, gourds or other vegetables and fruits, is great fun in which everyone in the family can participate, even the youngest kids.

Unleash your imagination and the kids' creativity while getting into the spirit of the season.

For materials, you'll need pumpkins, gourds, veggies, basket, carving knives, paring knives, straight pins, nails of various sizes, a hammer, a pumpkin carving kit, glue, scissors, pruning shears, wire cutters and an awl. You can grow your own gourds and pumpkins or go to your local farm stand and purchase them.

Reeds Farm in nearby Dighton has a huge selection of pumpkins, squash, and gourds. Take your time looking at them, turn them in your hand and imagine what the shape suggests. Is there a stem that looks like a nose? Do you see a fat belly? Is there a goblin in that gourd? How about a long-necked goose? Turn the veggies and fruits upside down; sideways what do they look like now?

Choose whatever strikes your imagination. Kids are great at this because their imaginations are free and open.

Pick several intriguing shapes - and don't forget the zucchini, eggplant and other vegetables, they make great creatures, too.

Next, take the kids foraging through your yard. Use a basket and pruning shears to collect berries, leaves, seeds, branches - gather anything that looks interesting or intriguing. Branches will become legs and arms, seeds and stems become teeth, leaves are wings or eyelashes and fronds of grass are plumes.

Outside on a picnic table is the best spot for carving and creating lanterns and creatures. It frees you from worrying about the mess and it's easy to clean. Adults must be involved -carving is a task for grown-ups - but allow the kids to guide the creation.

Start with something simple. Choose a vegetable with a stem that, using your imagination, looks like a nose.

Make eyes to go above the nose by putting straight pins through colorful berries, use your wire cutters to trim the straight pins to a shorter length and place them above your creature's "nose."

Cut lengths of stems or branches into legs and arms.

Use nails or an awl to make a starter hole in the gourd or vegetable. Trim the stems and branches so they have a point, making them easier to insert. Legs can be the same length or you can make two short and two long, so it looks like your creature is sitting.

Stems with branches can be trimmed to look like arms bent at the elbow or legs bent at the knee. Use a dab of glue on stems and branches to help them stay securely in the holes.

Round gourds can become watchful eyes in a giant pumpkin. Leaves fluttering above serve as eyelashes, and gourds with warty looking bumps can make a bewitching nose.

Get as elaborate as you want, but keep in mind sometimes the best animals are simple. The right gourd can be transformed into a swan simply by using two straight pins for a pair of eyes; a partridge may be hidden in a giant blue hubbard squash - let it out by using berries for eyes and a simple plume of wild grass as a topknot.

Let your imagination go wild, make a big outdoor mess and when you're finished, throw the leftovers into a compost pile. The only rule here is to have fun!