Christmas Candle Tutorial

Although I'm rarely at my own house for Christmas, every year I still make a candy cane Christmas candle no matter where I'm at. It's one of the easiest ways to make a candle more festive for the holidays. This year my lover wanted our house to have "the Christmas tree smell"...his words, not mine. I was happy to oblige and saw it as an opportunity to make my annual candy cane candle over Thanksgiving weekend. The one difference this year is that I've put together a quick little tutorial for my blog.

To begin with you will need a candle of your choosing, preferably in a glass container. My lover selected a Christmas Wreath scented Yankee candle.

Other supplies include:

- 3 boxes of candy canes or peppermint sticks

- 1 hot glue gun

- 4-8 hot glue sticks

- 15 inch piece of ribbon

- 1 clothes hanger

I must mention that all candy canes are not created equal. Although they come in the same box, they are not always the same length. This is where the hanger comes in. I hung the hanger from my oven handle and arranged all of the candy canes by length. This is an optional step.

Starting with the longest candy cane, place a line of hot glue down 3/4 of the back of the candy cane. From there line the piece up with the bottom of the candle and place against the glass. Repeat this step until the entire candle is covered. Keep in mind you may have to raise shorter candy canes in order to keep an even top on your candle.

Once the candle is covered it's time for the final touch. I decided to use an extra piece of red grosgrain ribbon I had in the house. Centering the ribbon along the base of the candle, place a drop of hot glue on the inside of one end of the ribbon, then glue it against one of the candy canes. Wrapping the rest of the ribbon around the candle, allow it to overlap a bit before gluing the remaining end on top of the first ribbon end. And voila! You have a beautiful festive Christmas candle!

It looks super pretty at night too...don't you think?

I originally wanted to use peppermint sticks, however after looking at 6 different stores with no luck, I went with the red/green/white candy canes. It just goes to show you that the options for this project are endless. You can add more flair with a bow or decorative accents. This year I kept it simple so that it would go along with the rest of my decorations more easily. If you have a candle on hand, then the total cost of the project is less than $4....pretty sweet!

If any of you decide to try it, I would love to see your candy cane candles!