Creative Candle Decorating Ideas for Christmas

Candles illuminate life year-round with an ambient glow, but their light is especially magical during the Christmas holiday season. Using candles to decorate during the holidays is an easy way to add holiday spirit, illuminate a corner of a room or just ignite seasonal romance. Here are ten ways to add that Christmas holiday glow to any home! (Be sure to view the slideshow at the end of this article for candle ideas in pictures too!)

1. Votives en Masse - Buy a dozen or so votive candle holders of uniform size and color, fill with scented votive candles and encircle a table centerpiece, or line up on a mantle or bookshelf atop a strip of wide Christmas ribbon.

2. Mason Jar Illumination - Mason jars make great nostalgic candle holders. Fill the bottom with fresh cranberries or coffee beans and place a white vanilla candle in each jar. Tie a holiday ribbon around the neck of each jar and voila!..low cost holiday ambiance! A wire can be wound around the neck of the jar for easy hanging.

3. Christmas Candle Bling - Buy the inexpensive, plain white candles at World Market or Walmart and turn them into gold or silver holiday gems! Push straight pins with gold, silver or copper beaded ends or decorative furniture brads into candles to form a design or a level circle around the candle. Wind thin, gold wire around them. Spray them with gold glitter spray and finish off with an elastic ribbon.

4. Wrap Candles in Holiday Fragrance - This can be done by creating a base for plain candles out of holly leaves intertwined with eucalyptus leaves, baby's breath, coffee beans or cinnamon sticks, or actually gluing the scented items right to the candle. When actually attaching to the candle, be sure to keep any flammable material toward the lower third of the candle and away from the flame.

5. Create a Woodsy Holiday Glow - Create a woodsy candle centerpiece that might be found in a cabin in the pines. Start with a rustic wooden bowl or "slice" of wood, fill with moss and polished rocks. Add pine cones, mistletoe or holly and top with several candle pillars in varying heights in amber or mossy green colors.

6. Use Apples or Pumpkins as Christmas Candle Holders - Create a cute candle setting by choosing closely sized apples or mini pumpkins, and cutting a hole in the center of each, just large enough to hold a tea light. Use a wooden or aged metal tray as the base, line up the apples or pumpkins and fill in the spaces between them with cranberries, orange slices, nuts in their shells, popcorn, etc. Finish with a few sprigs of holly berry, magnolia leaves or pine twigs.

7. Reflect the Holiday Spirit - Buy a few mirrors at garage sales or second hand stores to use for candle reflection. Buy ornate hand mirrors and set candles on them in the bath, use gold or silver edged wall mirrors to set close to a candle collection, or set candles directly on mirrored trays. Layer several mirrors behind or beside a group of candles to multiple the candle glow!

8. Christmas Baubles and Beads - Set a collection of candles on silver or gold plated chargers or trays, and wind glass beaded necklaces or Mardi Gras beads through and around the candles.

9. Christmas Candles and Candies - Create easy candy cane candle holders by using wide drinking glasses and candy canes. Place a rubber band close to the lip of the glass and slide the long end of each candy cane into the rubber band, leaving the "hook" of the candy cane protruding from the side of the glass. Continue around the glass until it is completely covered by the candy canes. Tie a red ribbon around the outside of the candy canes. Or fill a globe-shaped bowl with clear glass beads and crushed red and white peppermint candies; set a candle or two on top. Unwrap a few peppermint candies and add them whole, around the candles along with a few candy canes.

10. Illuminate the Holiday Season with Recycled Items - Don't throw away those cans and bottles during the holidays, but instead decorate with them! Fill empty bottles of varying shapes and sizes with scented, tinted water, wrap shiny dangling beads or ornate wire edged ribbon around the neck of the bottle like a collar and add a taper. Punch holes in cans and old Christmas tins and use as candle luminaries.

Candles offer an imaginative way to create a warm and inviting space during the Christmas holiday season. But little candle mishaps can occur and it is imperative that candles are used wisely and safely to avoid a holiday tragedy. Be sure to become familiar with candle care before the holidays are in full swing, by reading "Candle Care Tips". Then, have a safe and happy holiday season!

Slideshow: Ideas for Decorating with Candles for Christmas