Christmas Candles
Christmas without candles would just not feel like Christmas at all!
Many cultures still light real candles on their Christmas trees and even those that opt for electric Christmas lights, use candles for additional decoration. Candles on the tree are usually either red or white (not mixed!) and gold candles also come into play elsewhere.
If you do want to use real candles on a Christmas tree, you obviously have to be very aware of the danger of fire! To ensure that your candles will all stand nicely upright, buy special Christmas tree candle holders that have a clip that can swivel.
If you are going to use scented candles for Christmas, a fresh pine or cedar scent will probably be best.
The tradition of candles at Christmas time dates way back to the pagan observance of the midwinter solar observance. At the turning point of the season, when there is the least sunlight, our ancestors celebrated the ‘returning of the sun’ – longer days and new growth, with a feast of candles and evergreens.
As far as Christian religious observances go, candle light has become synonymous with Jesus – we read in the Bible Jesus referred to himself as the Light of the World. (John 8:12 Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, “I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life.” )
According to legend, Martin Luther, the reformer, once spotted the moonlight on a snow covered pine tree while on a solitary pre-Christmas walk in the mid-winter forest, and was so enchanted by the effect of the moonlight twinkling on the snow-covered tree, that he decided to bring such a tree indoors, add candles to it and make it part of the Christmas celebrations.
