Dis-Advent-Ageous

[billroper]

Being Christian, but not particularly Catholic, I had managed to not run into the concept of an Advent wreath before daisy_knotwise mentioned it to me earlier today as something she'd like to do. This apparently includes four candles.

"Candles?" I said apprehensively.

"Yes, four, one for each week of Advent. You know what Advent is, right?"

"I spent two years in an Episcopalian junior high school. I couldn't possibly not know about it."

"Ok. So I want an Advent wreath."

"I'm good with that, but can we get LED candles, because we've got two small children, one of whom could find a way to set the house on fire?"

"Three of the candles are purple. One is pink."

"Oh."

A long Google search later, I have come up completely empty on LED taper candles in purple and pink. I'm thinking there's a market there that someone's missing.

Apparently, if we were Episcopalian, all four candles could be white.

I don't think Gretchen is planning to convert.

Comments

[mia-mcdavid.livejournal.com]

Episcopalians often also use three purple and one pink. After all, they won't be lit unless you are present.

Don't forget the Christ Candle, the white pillar that goes in the middle at Christmas!!!

BTW, could y'all use an advent calendar of a sort that has a picture of the countryside and stick-on stable, manger, shepherds, sheep, etc? It's re-usable, and we're coming to Windycon . . .

You might like the good German custom

[capplor.livejournal.com]

of the Advent "calendar". 24 flaps to open, one for each day in December before Christmas, each with a chocolate candy behind them.

[gingicat]

There's this:
http://www.candleimpressions.net/website/images/products/decor/hurricane/index_products_hurricane.html

If you end up having to go with real candles, can you use votives in glass holders? I was incredibly happy to discover that there are kosher Shabbat candles that are essentially votives; makes things much safer around the kidlets. :)

[docstrange.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Sounds like a job for acrylic paint.

[salexa.livejournal.com]

Did you search specifically on advent candles? I found a few choices by searching on "LED advent candles".

[billroper]

And with a mighty cry of "Duh", he thumped his head and then said, "Thank you!"

*sigh* My Google-Fu is slipping today.

[samwinolj.livejournal.com]

Are you looking for pink and purple "candles", or pink and purple "flames"?

[billroper]

Pink and purple candles, which I've now located with a little help from above.

[robin-june.livejournal.com]

The candles are only supposed to be lit while you're at the table eating supper.

Since my sisters and I had a tendency to dawdle over dinner (according to my mother), the first taper candle in our wreath got a lot shorter than its fellows.

(I grew up Catholic, but married into Lutheranism, Missouri-Synod-flavored.)

Currently, our church uses pillar candles, which were initially burned just long enough to leave a well in each one sized to fit a tea candle in a tin. Now, during Sunday morning services, the acolytes light the replaceable tea candles, and we reuse the pillars year after year.

[grey-lensman.livejournal.com]

And it looks like the LED's are available -- you could probably get these guys to sample you a few...

<http://www.ledtronics.com/products/productsdetails.aspx?wp=c26k1693>

<http://www.etgtech.com/2006/html/through_hole5.htm>

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

Does the Mardel chain extend up into your area?
They are a Christian-flavored school supplies store hereabouts, and I strongly suspect one could walk into one and find both a plug-and-play all-electric Advent wreath AND a choice of kits to make the advent calendar.

[phillip2637.livejournal.com]

"Christian-flavored school supplies"

Ow! That got me a picture of young lions with backpacks climbing onto a bus, trading lunches....

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

I should maybe have said "Christian-themed".
There are a lot of fundamentalist home-schoolers in Central AR that I think is their target demographic.

[braider.livejournal.com]

You only light the wreath at dinner time, with everyone sitting around the table. Realistically, the candles should be out of the children's reach until they're old enough to understand fire safety.

It's also a good way to introduce concepts of good fire safety - up to and including when one is playing with the candles for fun... ;-) *sees Bill decide against EVER having any sort of candle available*

No, really. When the kids are little, you hold their hand to help them light the candle - or simply wait until they're a little older to let them start. However, it is a good teaching tool, and it's a nice symbol of community. The candles are lit one week each by : the youngest child, the oldest child, the mother, the father. In either that or reverse order. Not actually sure which.

[drawshad.livejournal.com]

In a controlled environment for a very short amount of time, you may be okay with the flames. NOt saying that flameless wouldn't be better, but last year Alex was good with the menorah during Hanukkah. We placed it on the kitchen counter out of his reach, but Peter let Alex "help" light the candles a couple times last year by placing Alex's little hand on his while he moved down the line.

[kizoku42.livejournal.com]

I know you've already solved the problem, and LEDs are good, but it's really hard to set a house on fire with candles, esp. if you have smoke detectors. You need something else seriously flammable nearby. Otherwise, just putting them out before going to sleep or leaving should cover things. Presumably Katie's clothes aren't easily flammable?

The real danger here is Katie learning how to use matches and how pretty they are. Toddling off to her room with the matches IS dangerous.

[kizoku42.livejournal.com]

Oh, hair IS flammable. You really, really don't want the child to be able to climb up near the candles even if it won't take down the house.

Advent Candle Memory

[starmalachite.livejournal.com]

Many years ago in the church I grew up in, the minister called the children to come up and "help" light the 1st Advent candle of the season.

"This Advent candle is to remind us of the shepherds. Does everyone know what a shepherd is?"

A little blond 3-year-old boy piped up: "A dog!"

Ever since then I've had a mental image of that kid's idea of the Nativity, with the angels & the wise men & the shepherds with their tongues hanging out...

Re: Advent Candle Memory

[tollermom]

LOL!

I love that.

And now I'm tempted to make a nativity scene with big fluffy sheepherding dogs instead of the shepherds.

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

I was raised Methodist* and our Advent wreath had four red candles for the four weeks and a big white candle for Christmas Day.

*I got better

[purpleranger.livejournal.com]

Just because she could find a way to burn the house down, how likely is is that Katie would actually do it? How fascinated is she with fire?

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

I was going to ask if painting or dyeing the white candles would do, but I see the problem has already been solved.

Happy Advent season to you and yours. :-)