With Thanksgiving over, most of the turkey eaten and the first Sunday in advent upon us, we have slowly started our first Christmas preparations. I’m trying to make the month of December more about little moments together and less about presents, Santa and wish lists (you can read about our Christmas calendar of great moments right here) and doing easy crafts together is an all-time family favorite in our home. →
To me, an advent wreath with candle lights is a necessity for the Christmassy month of December, and this year I decided to do it all myself, candle lights included. I remember making beeswax candles when I was a child, and have long wanted to do it with my girls. Opposite to most candles you buy in a shop, beeswax candles are clean- and slow burning, have a great scent and even purify the air. And they are extremely easy to make, especially if you go for the hand rolled version as we did. →
All you need to make beeswax candles is some sheets of 100% beeswax foundation and a 100% cotton wicking.
The beeswax foundation comes in large sheets, and we cut ours in half. Use a knife or a scissor or carefully bend the sheet first one way and then the other until it breaks. Next time I might try to use one third of a piece, to get a thinner candle. If you want a thicker candle, you can just use the whole sheet. The beauty of making your own beeswax candles is that you decide exactly how thick or thin, long or short you want them to be. →
Cut a length of wicking just a bit longer than your sheet of beeswax foundation, and start rolling. The beeswax is sticky and will hold itself together. Start out by rolling it tightly until the wicking seems stuck inside the sheet of beeswax, then continue rolling a little looser until the whole sheet has been rolled into a candle. Gently press the edge of the wax sheet to the candle without ruining the pattern in the beeswax foundation and trim the wicking if you’ve made it too long. →
We will be using our beeswax candles in our advent wreath and light them in candle holders all throughout the dark months ahead of us, and the rest we will nicely packed together and give as little presents to friends and family. →
A happy and joyful first advent Sunday to all of you.
