Saturday, November 12, 2011

Candles

Candles are in many ways an odd remnant from another time. We all have them in our houses and sometimes light them for parties, a decadent bath or a power failure. But most the time they just sit there unlit on tabletops in holders, in candelabra and even on stands in fireplaces.

My personal reluctance to light them is that they have the potential to burn down the house. But they do have a certain elegance about them that makes me feel good when I do light them. A party becomes more festive when the candles are lit.

From my childhood, I recall a few candle rules. The most important one is don’t light them in the morning and for a fancy evening event they are required on the table. When I think about it, that makes sense if the candles were all about providing supplementary light.

When I was growing up, if the power went out, we always used candles to pierce the darkness. We didn’t have any kerosene lamps, until I discovered them as young adult fresh from camp counselor experiences. A few years ago I bought electric lanterns, and these battery powered wonders produce clean, non-dangerous light good enough to read by.

My grandfather’s chifferobe sits in our entrance foyer. Behind one of the doors, I have several shelves filled with candles. I have boxes of red candles and green candles for holiday gatherings, all never lit. I inherited candles from my mother, a vast array of white and ivory tapers. I also have some boxes of dark blue and dark green candles purchased maybe a decade ago on a Williamsburg excursion. I also have two boxes of black candles, which were all the rage in the mid-80s. I also have a collection of “used candles” that we are saving for the power failure that goes on for weeks and runs down the batteries in our electric lanterns.

I keep a box of white candles in glass jars to use on tabletops for events, but have recently learned that they are prohibited in certain historic venues – for the obvious reasons. I have a lot of those small fake window candles that run on batteries, suitable for all just about anywhere.
I like the artificial candles that you can switch on and off. No muss – no fuss and you pretend they are real candles.

I also have a few candle accessories that I especially like. My favorite is the glass rings that go under the candle based to catch the dripping wax. Since candles like to flop around, I have a small container of sticky stuff that goes into the bottom of a candle holder and it keeps the candle stable.

I wonder how many decades more candles will be a part of every household? Or will they gradually lose their relevance? Will the next generation skip the candles and just crank up the lights in the dining room so people can see what they are eating?

1 comment:

Teresa Schumacher said...

What a lovley post. I hope the next generation does continue to enjoy the cozy ambiance and fragrant wonders of candles or I may be out of biz. lol We are the owners and creators of Pure Integrity Soy Candles Would be honored if you cam over and check us out. Have a wonderful holiday season. :)