Dec 19

Dec 19 Our Favorite Light Sources

Charlie Dumais

Growing up, candles were lit maybe twice a year, on Halloween inside a jack o’lantern and on Christmas Eve at church. But there were times when a storm would knock out the power and we’d light emergency candles from a dusty box in the garage. There were candles all over our house. My parents collected lard candles and beeswax candles. They hung from shaker pegs in most rooms in a variety of colors and lengths. But we were never able to light them. They were for decoration only. It wasn’t until years later my mother would light candles on the daily, but then (and now) it’s more about the scent, not the light.

There’s really nothing like the light from a real candle. It’s warm, animated, romantic and intimate. Candlelight immediately transforms a space. The flicker from the flame causes shadows to dance around the room and on faces or adjacent objects. Even the act of lighting a candle is intimate, like letting someone in on a secret. And blowing out a candle, who knows what’s next.