CANDLES, THE OLDER YOU GET THE MORE YOU GET

When did candles become the choice of gifts for friends and family of a certain age?

Seems like they've  taken the place of handkerchiefs, the old school gift for the mature set - nothing like a box of hankies for Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill.

When, I, Yvonne, paid a visit to a friend's bedridden mother,  I brought her a scented candle in a beautifully painted votive. When she opened the box, she looked at me and asked, “Does my room smell?” My intention was to make her happy, instead I made her feel stinky. (Please note, she wasn't living alone, I wasn't concerned that the candle would be a fire hazard, although that's something to think about.)

Candles, think before you give.

“Maybe people give candles when they think you have everything but I’m beginning to wonder if there’s an odor in the air that I’m not aware of,” said a friend of ours with enough candles to open a small shop. "When it comes to scented candles, people think you like them," explained another friend.

Of course, you never want to hurt a candle giver’s feelings. Like all gifts, they should be graciously accepted and appreciated for the thought. But in this case we will encourage a practice we really don’t like, go green and recycle. Candles are known to make their rounds.