It’s astonishing how many different pumpkin varieties exist, with colors ranging from almost white to orange, red, deep green, and even blue - as I recently learned. The pumpkins in my photo aren’t actually Blue Jarrahdale pumpkins, though; their blue hue comes from Lomochrome Turquoise film, which gives everything a surreal twist.

As a child, I only knew the classic garden pumpkins from movies and books. I can’t remember seeing many pumpkins in real life growing up - at least not until Halloween started becoming more popular here. The statistics seem to support my memory.¹

Every evening when the sun goes down, I see the spotlights and bright glow of the Christmas market near Frankfurter Allee. It feels like a foreign object that’s suddenly materialized, distorting the whole area. I wonder if they chose extra spotlights just because cultural events and folk festivals have an exemption in the EnSikuMaV¹. I can totally understand why people living directly in front of the market might be upset² - especially on cold, foggy nights when the light is just eerie and overwhelmingly bright.