Pumpkin carving is *so* 19th Century. All the cool kids want to carve melons for Halloween!

Step 1: Preparation Is Key

Everything you need is here:

A honeydew melon (for carving);
A bowl (for standing the melon up in);
A pyrex dish (for keeping the delicious melony flesh in for later munching);
A pen (for drawing on the melon with, so a fountain pen is a bad idea);
A knife (for incisions);
A melon baller (for rapid melon flesh removal);
A spoon (for removing seeds, and for slower/more controlled flesh removal).

Step 2: Use Tools to Reveal Inner Cavity

Using your knife, remove a rectangle of skul... sorry, melon. Make sure you get right into the pips. This will be your working hatch, so make sure it's large enough to get your chosen tools - as well as your tealight - in. Also, this is the back of the melon lantern, so if you have a particularly unattractive side to your melon, make the incisions here.

You might like to use a pen to draw lines to follow. This is really satisfying, but not quite as satisfying as writing on a banana with a ballpoint pen.

Step 3: Hollow Out the Melon

Use your spoon device to remove the pips, and discard (unless you want to start a melon farm co-operative). With your melon baller, get the bulk of the sweet melony goodness out. You can feed this to your cat later.

Melons have thinner skin than pumpkins, so don't make any hurtful jokes. Also, be aware that your melon baller could damage the skin from within, so as you get close to the skin, switch back to the spoon to smooth off.

Due to the intense juiciness of a honeydew melon, you might find it helpful to rinse out the innards once this stage is complete, and pat the inside dry with a little kitchen towel. (I know I did.)

Step 4: Make Like Michael Jackson's Surgeon!

Now it's time to get creative. Sadly, my drawing capacity is like a lazy Picasso on heroin (whilst having a stroke). Like I said - Michael Jackson's surgeon!

With the pattern drawn, start cutting out with your knife. Your knife is sharp, so you might want to get your grown-up helper to do this for you.

Step 5: Get the Candles Out, Ma!

Find a tealight. Everybody has some in their house, but nobody knows where they come from. Light it and carefully place it in your melon lantern, then lower the lantern into the bowl to hold it up straight.

Place in a darkened room and admire the wonderful yellow glow.

Finally, feed your cat pieces of melon.