Candles And More

Living in a cul-de-sac certainly has its benefits. Foremost among them is the sense of camaraderie that has grown between our family and the neighbors over the years. In the summer we hold a collective garage sale, and most of the proceeds are put toward neighborhood improvement projects such as flower beds. That feeling of communal spirit continues throughout the year, and it’s especially noticeable at Christmas time.

My wife always puts a few Christmas tealight candles in the windows of our home, but the main project requires dozens of helping hands. Along with the residents of the other nearby cul-de-sacs, we begin saving paper bags several months in advance. A week before Christmas, we begin lining the curbs with luminarias – placing a lit candle in each bag and lending the neighborhood an otherworldly ambiance.

Warm your home with fragrance, sounds silly doesn’t it.  Well it is not as silly as it sounds.  You can actually make your home feel warm and cozy, especially this time year.

There are so many scents out there that will give your home that warm cozy feeling.  Just light your candle and let the scent fill the room.  You know your windows can still be open for a while this year and that crisp scent that comes in is so refreshing.  I wish I could have that feeling all year long.

Now that we are going into the colder seasons, the dampness, the chill that goes to the bone, it is nice to come home to that cozy feeling and cuddle up with a warm blankie and have the scent of cookies, vanilla, pumpkin, or hazelnut scent.

I don’t know about you and maybe I’m weird, but I feel funny burning citrus or flowery scents in the fall and winter.  Now maybe spring, but not in the cold season.  Doesn’t it seem like the bakery scents, spice scents, or nut scents should be burned?  Well any way, jar candles, votives, or tartburners, any way you like them.  Happy burning in any scent!

snowman electric tartburner

Have you noticed the Christmas decor in stores already, time is a flyin.  I could not believe the decorations in some stores within the past month.  I think Christmas comes sooner every year.  At least, the stores want it to.  I guess with the economy, it’s best to get a jump on things.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas, but let us get the pools down first.  I have already purchased some gifts for my kids because with four children, to pay for everything, you gotta start early.  I still have a santa tartburner from last year that I have not put away yet.  I guess I might as well not now.  Tartburners, especially electric are always useful to keep a wonderful scent going in your home.

I use tartburners year round, if I don’t have any others, the christmas tartburner will work fine because it is electric, I’ll just keep it tucked in a corner out of site while still using it and noone will be the wiser.  I use electric tart burners because you don’t have to worry about replacing the tealight so often and the scent keeps going.

You can even switch scents after your tart has faded by just putting another tart in the burner.  After a while though, you will want to dump the wax, it will get full.  Not a big deal, to do.  The tartburner itself is heated by a light bulb, so there is no replacing the tealights and you can keep the scent going day and night.