With What You Have | 87

Candles on the tree

The simplicity of a Scandinavian tree - a wispy fir with dainty limbs, held in a sturdy clay pot and hung with orange slices, straw snowflakes, and candles, real candles.

The inspiration was persistent in its nudging, and unfolded little by little, beginning with the orange slices, then the snowflakes (a gift from a friend years ago). Then, the candles. But the candles? Could there be candles on our tree, even though the Christmas decorations box contained not a one, nor any vintage clip-on candle holders to hold them?

Well, let’s see. See what you do have, and do what you can.

On the pantry shelf was a box of tall beeswax birthday candles that have flickered over every birthday cake in this house for the last ten years, memories in burned wicks and wax drips. In my potting bench drawer was a roll of black 20 gauge annealed wire. In my knitting bag was a needle in size 10.5.

A length of wire, snipped at inch nine, and wrapped eight times around the knitting needle made a holder, perfect for a slender, six-inch candle, with a tail long enough for wrapping around the branch.

Twenty. Twenty candles in their holders now run up and down and around our simple tree.

Do what you can with what you have.