This Week: Swedes and Their Candles

I am sure you have all noticed the amount of candles a normal Swedish person owns! Or normal and normal. Who says it is normal?
All the Swedes that I know have an enormous amount of candles in their homes, and yes, they use them, too. You bet.

In my own house I think I have about 120 sources of beautiful candle lights. No, I am not kidding. When my Mom came to visit she counted to 95 candles, on the mail level. That’s right! 95 candles. And, yes--How many rooms do I have on my main level again? Oh, let me see…
A kitchen, a living-room and a powder-room (WC for the Euros that read this blog), and a hall-way. Not an enormous level by any means, but yet it hosts 95 candles.
It does sound excessive, I hear that. But, there is something so darn cozy in letting the candles burn on a regular winter night, or spring night or…or…well, you get the picture. A candle will work for you anytime, night or day.
It creates an instant coziness factor, and who doesn’t want a cozy house?

Every time a Swedish gal (or guy????) goes shopping she cannot help herself, she just HAS to look at candle holders. Maybe Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Pier 7, West Elm , Z Galleries or IKEA have any new cool looking candle holders this time? Perhaps she will buy another one. Add to the 120 she already owns? Maybe?

The most popular candle among us Swedes is the so called “tea lights” (värmeljus). We love them! When we go to IKEA to do some of our mandatory shopping we’ll always pick up at least two packages of “tea lights”, 100 in every package. How long do you think that’ll last us? Lemme tell ya’! Not that long, maybe a month if you have candles going every night.
CANDLE FREAKS!!! Yup, that’s us!


Over the Christmas holiday it was a shortage on “tea lights” over at most IKEA stores in Sweden. My friends in Sweden were complaining over this:
“Gosh, we just cannot find the super cheap candles at IKEA this Christmas, what are we going to do?”
In the meantime you could find them left and right here in the US. I was sitting on some very valuable goods here. Because, I think the only people that really are buying the tea-lights are fellow Scandinavians, and just face it, there are not that many of us here. Really.

Candles inside, candles outside, candles in the bathrooms and candles in the garden.
When visiting Scandinavia it is always tempting to pick up another candle holder. You just cannot help yourself while browsing around “Designtorget” and other cool stores…”Oh, that’s a cool looking candle holder! Let’s check the price…Oh, 700 SEK…But, but you can use it forever…I’ll buy it”
Yes, one can keep on telling oneself that. Denial, big time.

Then we have scented candles, and that is another different story!
I am a freak about those candles as well. I used to love “Illuminations”, a store in Tysons Corner. That store is closed now, boohoo! Now I just get scented candles at Safeway where I usually shop, but it isn’t quite the same. I am not so crazy about Yankee Candles; if I were I would shop there. So the hunt goes on. Oh, I did buy a really great candle at “Bath and Body Works” before Christmas. It was the scent of gingerbread cookies. So very lovely.
All right, it is cold outside today, I think it is time to lit up a candle.