Yes, I am admitting it. I am a candle addict.
(see photo gallery below)
It’s nice to meet you, and thank you for having me. I am told I am supposed to share my story here in this meeting, so here we go …
I believe my candle addiction started back around 1983. Maybe it was ’84? I don’t know. I was about 12, maybe close to 13. We were living on a 20-acre piece of property, with no running water or electricity in the mountains of Montana – approximately 9 miles from the Canadian border. We hauled water, we cooked on an old wood cook stove, and we raised chickens, pigs, and goats.
In the summer we bathed in the irrigation ditch (a creek running off one of the mountains), and even in August, it was freezing cold. I will spare you the sordid details of having to use an outhouse, but I will say this; “going out back” during the winter was always a VERY quick affair!
My life has not been boring.
Anyway, in order to see at night, we used candles. We even made some of our own at times. I remember the first candle I carved out of paraffin wax – it was an owl. I started with a square chunk of wax, threaded a homemade wick through it, and thought, “Hmmm. Neat, but this looks kind of boring.” So, I began carving around it, and soon I had an owl. Still, he looked fairly plain, so I dipped my little knife into the flame of the currently burning candle, and made all of his feathers, eyes, and ears from the soot. Now, he was beautiful.
And thus my love of candles began. You can blame my parents.
As I got older, I discovered scented candles. Oh, the marvelous delight! There was basically only vanilla, cinnamon, strawberry, and a few musky/floral-ly scents back then, so it was plain vanilla for me for many years. I am not a fan of strong scents. Cinnamon and flower scents especially give me an instant headache.
Cinnamon in baking is lovely. Fake cinnamon in candles? Horrid. But, I digress…
Over the years, my husband would always ask me what I wanted for Mother’s Day or my birthday. I never failed to respond, “Some new candles would be nice.” Needless to say, he got tired of “just buying me candles.”
I secretly think he saw my candle addiction and was trying to break it, but in the nicest possible way. That’s what people do when they love you.
But…I loved the candles! I missed them over those years when he was trying to “up” his present game. He didn’t realize that the softly scented wax in pretty glass jars truly made my heart happy. (By now we had moved up to some yummier sugar cookie scents as well. Woo hoo!!!)
I understood what he was trying to do in making me feel more important with more lavish gifts – and possibly keeping himself from being buried in candle jars – but deep inside, my little heart was always a bit sad when no candles appeared. I truly would have been happy with my beloved candles and a new pair of warm, fuzzy socks. Especially if they were pink.
It’s ok, though. After almost 26 years together, he understands that it truly is the little things that make me the happiest. And my love for candles doesn’t really hurt anyone. Maybe the checkbook a couple of times a year, but I have yet to fall so far into candle madness that I have had to do anything untoward to get my fix. He realizes that now, and I love him for it.
Over the years the scented candle market boomed. So many fragrances. So many colors. So MUCH to choose from. Sadly, most of them (in my humble opinion) are gross. Too strong. Too sickeningly sweet. Instantaneous headaches. Bleh.
With the multitude of choices out there, I have only two categories of scents that I purchase from: fruity/citrus for the spring and summer, and warm baking for the fall and winter.
That little batch of new pink and white candles by the books? Those are my summer scents that just arrived. Watermelon, Citrus Champagne (an orange cream scent), and Crispy Treats – which almost smells like you are walking around the county fair with cotton candy and marshmallow floating around you. The sweet scent of childhood and memories!
My fall/winter scents are only three: Vanilla, Maple Bourbon Pecan, and Hazelnut Cream. That’s it. Nothing more. If they ever quit creating those scents, I may be in trouble.
I am simply a picky candle addict. I would rather go back to plain vanilla, or – heaven forbid – go without, than to live with my head pounding or making my home smell like a perfume outlet store during Mardi Gras.
Wait a minute! Maybe I’m not an addict at all; maybe I’m a connoisseur.
Yes…that’s it!
Ahhhh! I feel so much better!
Sorry I have wasted your time. I guess I didn’t need this meeting after all. I am not an addict; I am simply a connoisseur of scented wax.
Have a great day, and don’t forget to stop and smell the roses…or a great scented candle!
P.S. Just for fun, here’s a little photo gallery, but it doesn’t even include the living room, bathrooms, or bedroom! LOL The candles on the antique bookshelves will be coming off of there soon, once I get my candle cubby in my craft room ready. Then I can swap my candles out by season, without having to have them cluttering my bookshelves.
