Awesomeness: Seriously, what better Christmas gift could a pumpkin-fan get than the opportunity to lather himself with pumpkin each and every morning?!
Caveat: Just as the picture shows, this delectable scent actually came as part of a set of several different food-scented shampoos, but which one do you think yours truly cracked open first?
Showery Aroma: like taking a bath in a pumpkin pie … without all of the uncleanliness
After-Smell?: Surprisingly, shortly after leaving the shower the pumpkin scent had pretty much dissipated, which was probably a good thing because although I loved the smells filling the shower during my morning rituals, I’m not so sure that reeking of pumpkin would be the best impression to make upon everyone who I encountered throughout the rest of the day!
Gratitude Due: A special thanks to my loving wife for finding such an awesomely pumpkin-i-fied Christmas gift.  May all of our Christmases together be merry and orange…

Origin: Wal-Mart Super Center (bakery)
Visual Note: looks like it was made about 60 years ago
Taste-ual Note: also tastes like it was made about 60 years ago
Why It Sucked: I don’t know if I’ve ever had a pumpkin pie with a full crust (i.e. overtop, too), but that’s only the shell of the problem (pun intended!). The pumpkin inside was kind of bitter, almost what you would expect from a pie that was made frozen and then shipped from several states away, as Wal-Mart has a tendency to do.
Recommendation: Spend your $0.58 elsewhere and just pick-up a Hostess apple pie or something instead. It may not be pumpkin-y, but honestly this version was a stretch anyways…

Pumpkin Precursor: Clearly I haven’t done enough exploring of the housewares section of Wal-Mart!
Discovery Found: Surprisingly enough, I stumbled across this little gem completely by accident while visiting my sister’s new home.  It’s nice to see that my little pumpkin addiction has rubbed off on her…
Scent: Overbearing, but granted that’s probably because I was dumb enough to just open the bottle and take a big, old sniff without prejudice!  As an afterthought, though – it wasn’t too bad, and carried much better than any of the candles that I’ve ever tried.
Bargain?: For $2.96, I don’t really see how it couldn’t be.

Pumpkin-Fanatic’s Warning: Don’t believe that just because it has pumpkin in the name that it will actually be tasty.
Why?: …because these things were disgusting.  Dry, flavorless – like the kind of cookies that somebody’s Grandma who doesn’t cook would put out for company.
Maybe?: It could technically be possible that these horrible treats are intended for consumption with afternoon tea or something, but even then … just stay away.
Really?: Trust me on this one…

Origin: Where else?!  Super Pumpkin, errr, Target
Influence: Despite having grown up in the Boy Scouts, the chances of finding me out on the open trail with nothing but a hiking stick and a bag of mixed nuts are about as good as the chances of us finding such a wild array of pumpkin delicacies like these the rest of the year!  Still, I can’t blame the nuts themselves for the fact that I’m no longer an outdoorsman, so I thought I’d give these a shot.
Flavor: Like nearly all trail mix, some pieces were certainly better than others – I, for one, could do without the “graham squares” and “yogurt raisins” in this one, but as for the pumpkin slice almonds?  Heavenly.
Marketing Note to Target: How about a festive, holiday jar of nothing but the almonds for this pumpkin-lover’s stocking next season?

Origin: another Super Target super-find … sort of
Prospective Ease of Creation: easy
Actual Ease of Creation: not so much
Explanation: This kit is presented as a very simple, out-of-the-box-type recipe – you know, just add water, but unfortunately when your recipe consists of 90% flour and 35% other dry goods, just water doesn’t exactly make for easy mixin’!  I finally ended up just diving in and kneading it with my hands after nearly breaking a wooden spoon in the mixture, but even then, this was a pain in the butt.  Prepare to get messy…
Enjoyability: Despite constructive difficulties, this pumpkin-y version of the old favorite still tasted quite good out of the oven, however once allowed to cool even the microwave couldn’t soften them back up – the entire batch definitely needs to be enjoyed by four or five friends fresh from the oven.  I didn’t end up making the suggested Powdered Sugar Glaze because they already seemed pretty fattening as it was.
Flavor?: I think the mix itself smelled more of pumpkin than the final product, but the spice was still decent in the bread, too.