Gransnet forums

Christmas

Real candles on Christmas tree

(57 Posts)
jura2 Tue 05-Nov-19 20:11:51

Do any of you remember having real candles on Christmas tree - and if so, which part of UK and which decade? Thanks.

jura2 Sun 17-Nov-19 09:50:27

we tend to go to UK for Christmas as it is much easier for us to travel at that time, before and after the rush- and they come here to ski in Feb. But if ever in next few years they come here- real candles it will be.

Tree only comes in on 22nd and is sprayed daily, placed in a gripper container with water, and water spray and extinguisher hidden just behind... and of course candles placed VERY carefully to avoid being below another branch or any flammable decoration. This old 16C house is all made out of stone and wood- so it would go woooosssshhh- as it did in 1663 (because it housed the communcal bread oven).

Snowing like crazy btw.

Thomas67 Wed 04-Dec-19 13:54:50

In the late 50s an old aunt gave us her glass babbles , candle holders and half used candles.
My parents were horrified at the potential fire risk. My mother said she had electric lights after the war. My Dads family didn’t have a tree ever . Only people in big houses tended to have them ! He used to go and look through their window.

agnurse Thu 05-Dec-19 17:05:46

I've heard of them being done, but we never had any. With a real tree + 6 children + 2 cats, adding in real candles = immediate fire hazard.

Where we did use real candles was in our Advent wreath. To this day, the smell of candles freshly extinguished reminds me of evening prayers during Advent as a child.

Out of sheer curiosity, how would you keep the candles on the tree? I would be concerned that the weight of the candle and the holder would make that a non-viable option, as it would bend the branches down too far.

I do think that hearkening back to the use of candles raises some intriguing ideas about battery-operated tealights that resemble candles. I wonder if there are any that have clips on the back so that they could be put onto a tree, in lieu of string lights?

SueDonim Thu 05-Dec-19 17:31:18

Agnurse look at my link further down this page. It takes you to a site where you can buy electric candle lights. I’ve succumbed to the lure and bought some. I just need a tree to put them on now, grin

Deedaa Sat 07-Dec-19 21:25:55

We always had candles on our tree in the 50s. They were lit every evening over the holiday and the heat from them released the beautiful smell of the first tree. We had a Jewish neighbor who used to celebrate Hannukah with a tree smothered with candles. As far as I know he never had any accidents.

FearlessSwiftie Wed 18-Dec-19 10:43:06

Nope, Шёму never tried it and I don`t think I ever will. We have a lot of relatives and I can`t imagine them coming with their babies to our house with real Christmas tree candles