It's no secret that carols by candlelight is one of the most wonderful traditions associated with Christmas celebrations. As the mother of two young children however, I'm all too aware that toddlers and flames don't mix. I don't even advocate real candles with paper plate protectors. The risks are far too great. So then. What other options can we come up with that will satisfy their sense of inclusion, playfulness, love of color and magic? The long plastic candles and flickering lamp-lights are perfect. They look like what everyone else has, but are safe. You can add the same paper protector to the plastic candles so the children feel they are identical.
Or you can try what we did; take a handful of colourful, clean sippy-cups and lids, and pop pretend tea-lights inside. Any plastic food or drink containers will do, but the coloured plastic works best as it conceals the fake candle, and the color that is produced is extra pretty. An unexpected upside of 'my invention', is that the children can stack the sippy-cup votive candles and arrange them in additional ways to keep themselves entertained. We have half a dozen lined up around the base of the Christmas Tree to act as a colourful runway for Santa's sleigh!
Note - I shouldn't have to say this, but I will - never put a real candle inside a plastic container, be sure to teach your children about fire safety, and explain to them the difference between real and pretend flames.
Two more sleeps 'til Christmas, and one more blog post tomorrow before I take ten days off.
FYI - I'm making a "To DO Next Christmas" poster to put out with the subscription January newsletter so that, if you're anything like me, you can keep track of all the Christmas Ideas you found too late!
