Is Petroleum Jelly Flammable?

This isn't a sentence usually heard when someone is carving a pumpkin.  But last night, I texted my husband those very words while I was having a pumpkin carving party with my friend, Beth.

Beth and I have been BFF's since we were in the 3rd grade.  It's fun to say, "We’ve been friends for almost 25 years."  Then again, maybe it's not so fun.  That makes me feel very old.  We shared a locker every year from 6th grade through our senior year.  Sometime in middle school, she crossed over from being my best friend, to being my sister.  In high school, we did some wild and crazy stuff.  Not the kind that gets you in trouble with the law, but more like the kind of stuff that made our moms roll their eyes and wonder what was wrong with their daughters.  We used Kool-aid packets to dye Beth's blond hair almost every color of the rainbow.  We dressed up for spirit week in over-the-top outfits.  And we spent the night at each other’s house almost every weekend.

(I wish I could dig out my old yearbooks and pictures from the back of my basement, but I'm not that energetic right now)

As we got older, we went our separate ways, but we never lost touch.  She sent me a care package every year I was away at college.  (One year she sent me a box of Nerds and said "don't hang out with any nerds this year!" That was my favorite).  She came out to my school one year for Halloween dressed as a pregnant nun.  This is her humor.  She's my BFF.  (Love you!!)

Since I've gotten married, she and I started a semi-annual tradition of carving pumpkins. (This is us two years ago)

My husband says we are cheaters, since we use patterns, but I say we're resourceful!  Beth brings over her carving supplies (what did we ever do without these!?) and we carve away.  We had recently read a tip about how to extend the life of our carved pumpkins, and we were excited to try it out.  We were so excited to get to the carving that we almost forgot to open up the pumpkins and clean them out!  After the pumpkins were cleaned out, carved up, and ready to light, we tried out the preserving techniques re read about.  We sprayed the outside of the pumpkins with shellac and started to coat all the cut parts with petroleum jelly.  What a mess!!!  It was so hard to spread it in all the nooks and crannies.  As we were spreading it around, one of us thought to ask "isn't petroleum jelly flammable?"  After all, there will be a candle burning in this thing!   Instead of looking it up online, Beth decided to do a little test burn. She held the lighter up to a glob of petroleum jelly on the pumpkin.  She decided it was only going to melt and not burst into flames.  (Here are our pumpkins this year.)

Thanks, Beth!  My fears are put to rest.  Should I tell you now that I'm never going to light a candle in this pumpkin?  (Love you!)