Select a golden-colored, medium-sized, well-shaped pumpkin. With a sharp knife fashion into the shape of a basket with an old-fashioned tub handle on each side. Carefully scoop out the seeds and pulp, leaving a thin shell. Polish the rind and line the inside neatly with white paper. The paper may be held in place with pins.

Fill the basket with apples, pears, and grapes of various hues. A mat of autumn leaves, maple or sumach, gives the finishing touch to this table ornament. A fruit basket, fashioned from a cabbage, is appropriate for halloween. A wooden trencher, hand-painted, filled with fruit, is peculiarly adapted to this use at Thanksgiving, and a mat, fashioned from stalks or ripened grain and bright autumn leaves, can hardly be improved upon as a centrepiece for either of these receptables.