Safer Alternatives to Lighting the Advent Wreath

The Advent Wreath much like an advent calendar that was filled with candy and small gifts, is a symbol of the holidays. It helps families’ countdown to Christmas or holds a deep spiritual meaning for the coming day. It is stated that the purple candles that are used stand for hope, preparation, joy (though some use a pink candle for this representation) and love. One candle is lit each Sunday of the four Sundays before Christmas in the evening. (www.kencollins.com) Either way one chooses to use the advent wreath, there is one underlying concern and that is the unattended flame of a burning candle. There are various ways of having the wreath lit while it is unattended and here are five ways that one can still enjoy an advent wreath without the worry of fire. All of these lights are reasonably priced and can be found and your local craft store or online from such places as Amazon.

1. Battery operated tea lights. These little lights run on three watch batteries and have an extraordinarily long run time. Though they only come in white and only come in the standard tea light size, they can be painted purple and set upon a pillar to give height. They also can be placed into thin color vases to give the illusion of a burning flame. It is not recommended that the tea lights be attached to any pillar as the battery compartment and power switch is located on the bottom of the light.

2. Battery operated taper candles. These operate much like the tea lights, though they use AA batteries for their power source. They can be purchased in a variety of colors or to give a more natural appearance, bees wax coverings can be purchased in a wide range of colors.

3. Paper lights. Let the children have their own candles with paper tubes and tissue paper. Have them paint the tubes purple or cover them with purple construction paper. With two sheets of tissue paper (one yellow and on red), draw the four points together and stuff one end into the tube. When it comes to “lighting” the candle, have one of the children pull out a bit of the tissue paper to represent flames. At the end of the evening, the flame can be pushed back into the candle or it can be left “burning” so when the children wake up they can keep track of how much longer until Christmas.

4. Mood lights. These rechargeable pillar candles come in purple as well and other colors. Once charged, they will stay lit for up to eight hours on the charge and can be adjusted into five different variations from solid to flickering candle.

5. Instead of a traditional wreath, why not use placemats. Children can make them during their Thanksgiving holiday and the instructions can be found and www.crayola.com.

Here are but a few variations to light and use an advent wreath. No matter how it is lit, it will be a wonderful addition to any home for the holidays.