Growing up in New England, nothing was more evocative of the holiday season than seeing houses with a candle in each window. With this decoration, electric candles are clearly the way to go, for safety as well as cost efficiency. You can also use decorative votive holders with battery-powered tea lights for a different effect. If you want real candles in your windows, keep them inside a tall candle holder, and don't leave them unattended.
Even a mundane family dinner can get infused with the holiday spirit if you eat by candlelight! Cluster a bunch of votives or put one at each setting for a little romantic lift for your mid-winter meal.
How do you use candles in your holiday decor?
Top Row:
1. Pottery Barn Birch Candles, $12-69
2. Restoration Hardware Ivory Wax Flameless Pillar Candles, $19-45
3. CB2 Smart Candle Tealights, Set of six for $12.95
4. West Elm Mercury Glass Votives, $5
5. Williams-Sonoma Snowy Pinecone Candles, $9.95-14.95
Middle Row:
6. Design Within Reach Tom Dixon Etch Candleholder, $55
7. Crate and Barrel Raj candleholders, $4.95 each
8. CB2 Charlotte Candleholders, $4.95-16.95
9. Smart Candles from the MoMA Store, $28
10. Wisteria Austro Artwork Votive Holders, on sale for $16.80
Bottom row:
11. Nachtmann Glacier Votive Holder from Gracious Home, $15
12. Deepika Tealight Candleholders from World Market, on sale for $3.74 each
13. Maxwell's DIY Clementine Candle.
Images: As credited above.
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Sigh. I tried the clementine candle several times, and it did not work for me. Ah well.
Candles are so comforting this time of year.
These look lovely clustered on a table...
http://www.etsy.com/listing/77597300/vintage-quail-figurine-white-christmas
I put a couple of flameless pillar candles in my window and set the timer. It will be on for 5 hours, then turn off. It will go back on the same time the next day. Of course, real candles are better, but the flameless are pretty good for effect, without the worry.
Ugh. Why doesn't anyone make decent candlesticks for taper candles anymore? I've been scouring thrift stores for 18th-century-looking brass ones and have come up with lots of chamber sticks, but nothing really pretty and fancy. We've got like a bajillion of those short cut glass ones (another thrift store find), but I want decent-looking metal ones (or ceramic) that don't look like something out of IKEA and don't cost $100 a pair.
Anyone got any suggestions?