Light up your holidays
WASHINGTON – Nothing fuels the holiday spirit like decorating the home, and at this time of year, lighting is a crucial element. Holiday lighting reflects the magical sparkle of the season, the warmth of friends and family and sets the tone for holiday traditions. Whether your holiday decorating tastes are “winter wonderland” with lots of sparkle and shine, or simple and homey, Susie Coelho, lifestyle guru, best-selling author (“Everyday Styling” and “Styling for Entertaining”), and lifestyle consultant to the National Candle Association (NCA), offers advice on blending new lighting trends with tried-and-true traditions.
This year seems to be reflecting those of days past, says Susie Coelho, who’s been taking close note of current holiday lighting trends.
“For several years, people were shunning colored lights in favor of the understated look of white lights,” said Coelho. “This year, you’ll see more people going back to the retro look of colored lights.” Coelho also advises homeowners to consider lighting as part of an entire holiday decorating scheme and not just focus on the lights that are ‘strung.’ New colors and variations in light bulbs can enable the creation of a whole new ambience, simply by switching the bulbs in lamps and chandeliers.
“Candles are also a must-have, as they speak to the spirituality of the season and are featured prominently in all of the oldest holiday traditions,” said Coelho. “What’s old is new again, so for new inspiration, revisit your roots.”
Coelho offers some basic tips, such as the following:
• Bulbs – Switch out glaring white light bulbs for frosted or softer hues and color tints.
• Holiday Hues – Red and green are holiday classics, but that doesn’t mean other colors are forbidden. Try bringing in metallics and some bright pastels or jewel tones.
• Merry Mantle – As family and friends gather in the living or family room, groupings of pillar candles of various sizes and shapes on the mantle create the perfect aura, and are also out of reach of kids and pets.
• Votives – Delight company by strategically placing tea lights in brightly-colored glass votives around the house. Illuminate the path from driveway to front door and place on entry and side tables for a little something extra here and there.
• Flowers and Greenery – Place a large pillar candle inside a hurricane lantern and surround with seasonal flowers and greenery for a simple centerpiece.
• Make it Personal – Collect and utilize ornaments and decorations that hold personal significance for you. Revisit some of your family’s ethnic holiday traditions and incorporate them into your holiday decor and celebrations.
Coelho urges everyone to remember to always keep safety in mind when using candles.
“It seems that we all know this but it’s amazing the things we don’t think of – like remembering to blow out all candles before going to bed, or keeping candles away from things that might easily catch fire.”
The National Candle Association offers the following safety tips when using candles:
• Always keep a burning candle within sight and never leave unattended. Always extinguish all candles before going to sleep.
• Never burn a candle on or near anything that can catch fire, such as drapes or curtains, bedding, carpets, books, paper, furniture and flammable decorations.
• Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets, including wagging tails.
• Always read and follow the manufacturer’s use and safety instructions carefully.
• 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.
• Trim candlewicks to ¼-inch, unless otherwise directed by manufacturer instructions, before lighting or re-lighting. Long or crooked wicks can cause uneven burning, smoking and dripping.
• Avoid putting candles near drafts to prevent soot, excessive dripping and rapid, uneven burning.
• Extinguish any candle if it begins to smoke, flicker repeatedly or if the flame becomes too high. Let cool, trim the wick, check for drafts and then re-light.
• Always burn candles in a well-ventilated room.
• Keep the wax-pool free of wick trimmings, dust, matches and debris at all times.
• Extinguish pillar candles if the wax-pool approaches the outer rim of the candle.
• Never touch or move a votive or container candle when the wax is liquid.
• Candles should be placed at least three inches apart so they don’t melt one another or create their own drafts that will cause them to burn improperly.
•The best way to extinguish a candle is to use a special candle snuffer or candle quencher to prevent hot wax from spattering.
• Do not extinguish candles with water. The water can cause the hot wax to spatter and some candle containers to break.
• During a power failure, flashlights and other battery-powered lights are a much safer light source than candles.