Every Halloween we get all excited and bring home a bunch of big pump­kins, hack away at them with steak knives and arrange them on the porch lit up from inside with tea lights. Our Jack-o-Lanterns are a source of pride for a few days, until the Halloween candy runs out and Jack’s jaunty hat starts to sink and soften. Once the pump­kin starts to rot it just serves as a reminder that the fun, freaky hol­i­day is over and all that stands between us and the icy cold despair of January is Christmas. And Christmas is great and all but it is the very last ves­tige of hol­i­day fun before our world turns to ice.

Save your­self and your fam­ily from that ter­ri­ble fate and bring your Jack-o-Lantern to the Drake tonight for a beauty con­test. Your pump­kin could win a prize, and even if it doesn’t you’ll at least have given it a fit­ting farewell before allow­ing the Drake staff to dis­pose of it for you. Then you can wake up refreshed in November and start tack­ing up all those tan­gled Christmas lights.

Tonight’s Jack-O-Lantern Contest starts at 7pm, come down and vote for your favourite. Boozy Hot Chocolate will be served cour­tesy of Hammersmith’s, Brockton General and The Drake Hotel’s head bar­tender Gord Hannah. It’s free and open to every­one, cos­tumes encour­aged but def­i­nitely not required.