Holiday Decorating Made Easy -- and Safe -- With Candles

No holiday table would be complete without the warm glow of candles. From the dining room to the kitchen and the family room to the guest room, candles can help to set the mood for your holiday festivities.

Decorating with candles can be simple according to Tom Hunsche, vice president of marketing for leading candle manufacturer Hearth & Home Traditions, Ltd in Norwich, Ohio. Hunsche offers several simple decorating suggestions for using candles this holiday season:

* Use a large single candle combined with holiday greenery on an entry table to provide a dramatic effect and set the mood for a festive evening of entertaining.

* Use one candle or a set of several candles in varying heights in front of a mirror to illuminate the warm glow and provide an interesting focal point for a room.

* Several votive candles in small glass holders can be scattered across the dinner table or on a buffet table for an elegant look when entertaining. Using a heat resistant paint pen to decorate the glass holders can turn these decorations into gifts that each guest can take home to enjoy throughout the season.

* Use a textured candle such as the Christmas Twist candle or one of the Original Cake Candles from Hearth & Home Traditions, Ltd. to lend a more casual, homemade feeling to your Christmas decorations.

* Choose scents that can last all season. Pine fragrances as well as cinnamon and spice and plum pudding fragrances provide a warm feeling all winter long.

* Try different colors this season. Along with the traditional red and green, decorate your home using colors like silver and blue. Or for something really different, add a touch of purple to give your decorations a regal feel.

* If you can't have a real tree in your house, use a collection of pine scented candles to give your entire home the fragrance of a fresh-cut tree -- without all those needles.

* Candles don't need to stay indoors even during the winter months. Decorative luminaries with votive candles make a welcoming addition to a walkway or front door.

* When holiday guests stay the night, put a candle and matches in their room. Nothing is as soothing after a hectic holiday afternoon than an evening of soft candlelight.

Make Yours a Safe and Happy Holiday

A famous holiday story says, "… the stockings were hung by the chimney with care …" But just how much care is taken with all of our holiday decorating? According to Hunsche, we all need to take care when decorating with candles for the holidays.

"It is important to pay special attention to how candles are used so you and your family are safe during the holiday season," says Hunsche. "Too often, candles are left unattended while burning or are burned all the way to the bottom against the recommendation of manufacturers. And, a candle can catch fire when debris such as matches or wick trimmings are left in the wax pool as it burns to the bottom."

Hearth & Home Traditions, Ltd., is taking aim at these candle safety issues with the introduction of the company's new, patented wick holder. This tiny metal device improves candle safety by supporting the flame 1/2 inch above the base of the candle. In addition, it prevents wax (the fuel for the candle) from traveling up the wick once the candle has been burned too low, thus reducing the risk of candle fires.

To learn more about the wick holder or to order, go to www.cakecandle.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content, www.ARAcontent.com, e-mail: info@ARAcontent.com

Hearth & Home Traditions offers some important safety tips that should be followed no matter what type of candle is being burned. Remember that anytime candles are burned, it is important to "TAKE CARE."

Trim wicks to 1/4 inch at all times.

Always keep candles away from anything that can catch fire.

Keep a burning candle in sight.

Extinguish a candle when the flame is one inch from the bottom.

Carefully remove all wick trimming and debris.

Always keep candles away from pets and children.

Read the manufacturer's instructions.

Extinguish any candle that smokes. Let cool, trim wick to 1/4 inch. If smoking persists, extinguish and return the candle.