CANDLES BRING WARMTH AND SPARKLE
TO HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS AND DÉCOR

The holidays are that special time of year when Americans slow down to share and enjoy the season’s traditions with family and friends.

Candles, of course, are synonymous with holiday celebrations, and often take center stage in entertaining and gift-giving plans.  Candles are also among the most popular, versatile and affordable ways to transform a home into a warm and inviting tableau for the holidays.

Whether your personal style tends toward contemporary, casual or traditional, there’s something for everyone in this year’s leading holiday decorating and candle trends.

Color & Design Outlook

The 2011 holiday palette is heavily weighted toward the saturated reds, offset by golds, whites and silvers. Deep forest and apple greens are still popular, but more often as a backdrop or accent color.

Expect a vintage look with softened colors, burnished finishes and a sense of romance…or a decidedly contemporary look with lively jewel tones and a touch of whimsy.  Reindeer, snowflakes, pine cones, and Santa are the favored holiday icons, while mercury glass, textured glass and mirrored finishes, and metallic accents meld together to create an overall mood of shimmer and sparkle.

Decorating with Candles

Simple foliage-and-candle arrangements or candle-and-holder groupings are among the easiest ways to create a welcoming holiday ambience.  For a dramatic mantel, try a combination of glass or metal candlesticks of different heights, shapes and visual weights with white or ivory pillars – some with smooth finishes and others with textured surfaces – nestled among boughs of evergreens or holly branches.

For the foyer table, fill a deep green or red glass bowl with white-tipped pine cones, flanked by red or green pillars on chunky pedestal candle sticks or ensconced in oversized, footed glass hurricanes.

There’s no need to keep your holiday decorations confined to your indoor space.  Begin with a decorated evergreen wreath on the door, then add oversized outdoor lanterns with large pillars along the walkway to welcome guests.  Or flank the front door with the lighted lanterns or place them in a grouping on the front porch.

Table Settings

For a simple and long-lasting centerpiece that adds special holiday flair to family dinners, start by centering a solid-colored lipped serving tray on the table, matching the shape of the tray to the shape of your dining table.  Place several votives in glass or ceramic holders on the tray, interspersed with peppermint candies or Christmas ornaments and a few sprigs of evergreens or holly leaves.

If you don’t have much extra room for a centerpiece, alternate a line of pretty glass votive and tealight holders down the center of the table, placing a single red flower in the votive holders and tealights in the tealight holders. For added color, place the holders on a wide green-and-red patterned fabric ribbon.

For a formal holiday table setting, surround a low, compact flower arrangement of red and white flowers (gerbera daisies, carnations, tulips or roses) with mercury glass or other votive holders that have a shimmery glow when lit.  For added sparkle, place the flowers and votive holders on a mirrored candle tray and use mirrored or beaded napkin rings.

Whether you choose tapers, tealights, votives or pillar candles for your holiday table decoration, remember to keep your arrangements low enough so that people can make eye contact without having to peer around the centerpiece, and keep candles clear of any flammable decorations.  And always use unscented candles so they won’t compete with the aroma of your food.  For other areas of your home, scented candles are a wonderful way to add a special and comforting ambience.

Fragrances

Nothing sets the holiday mood faster than the yuletide scents of evergreen, cinnamon spice, bayberry or red berry.  This year’s holiday candle scents add a variety of unexpected but appealing top notes, including peppermint, winter fruits, sugar cookie, tea, peppercorn, pomegranate, pear, apple, and unusual vanillas.

Prefer to relax and escape to thoughts of peaceful winter wonderlands or cozy evenings in front of a quiet fire?  Envelop yourself in this year’s lovely winter candle fragrances that feature calming evergreen and crisp outdoor scents highlighted with notes of amber, fern, eucalyptus, black currant, lavender, raspberry or citrus.

Make Your Holidays Safe

Accidental candle fires increase four-fold during the holiday season, so the National Candle Associations urges all consumers to take special care with candles during the holidays.

Always keep a burning candle within your sight. Never leave a burning candle unattended.

Never burn a candle on or near anything that can catch fire. Be especially careful with flammable decorations or placing candles too close to Christmas greenery or Christmas trees.

Always use a candleholder specifically designed for candle use. The holder should be heat resistant, sturdy and big enough to collect dripping wax.

Never place pillars or any candles directly on furniture, whether glass or wood, or directly on greenery.

Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets.

Trim candlewicks to ¼ inch before lighting or re-lighting, and keep the wax-pool free of wick trimmings, dust, matches and debris at all times. Too-long wicks can cause uneven burning, smoking and dripping.

Click here for more candle safety rules.