Rainbow Candle Making for the Holidays

I first made hand dipped candles when I was a young newly out dyke in my early 20s. I was a low paid service worker. I was estranged from my family, like many young queers in those days. I had a need for holiday closeness and very little money to buy gifts. 

I decided to invite everyone I might otherwise buy gifts for over to my home for winter Solstice to make dipped candles. The candles would be my gift to them, so I spent my slim gift budget on wax, wicks and candle colouring. 

An Orphan Holiday Tradition

I invited all my friends who were 'orphans' for the holidays like me. I mulled some apple juice with spices, turned down the lights, laid down newspaper on my table and floor and we made candles for several hours, telling stories and visiting in a lovely new holiday tradition I've kept doing ever since. It was my first holiday tradition that was about my new life and new chosen family. 

Years later, I have a new candle making tradition, for my birthday. I invite people over for mulled juice and birthday cake, sometimes with candle-making available, but invite them to write a blessing for me on a taper candle they bring or I supply. After they leave, throughout the year, I burn these candles in my home to appreciate and absorb their blessings. 

In this year of drastic change and upheaval, 2020, many people who would otherwise collect in groups with family will be in a similar place to me on my first Christmas alone – wanting holiday closeness but having limited opportunities and perhaps limited budgets. 

Why not make candles, alone or with your household to give as gifts that have a more tangible connection to you, for loved ones you aren't going to be see in person?

Rainbow Dipped Candles Instructions

Here are my instructions for making rainbow dipped candles. When burnt, these candles contain coloured rings, like the growth rings of a tree. 

The Preparations

Obtain as many tall, narrow jars as possible. Empty novena candle jars or tall olive jars are perfect. Why should they be tall? Because the candle will only be as tall as the jar of wax  you dip into. Why should they be narrow? Because you need less melted wax to get the height you need that way. 

Fill the jars with broken wax chunks and place them in an old pot (one you don't mind getting wax on) filled with water. You may need to stabilize the wax jars with other jars full of water to keep them upright till they melt. It may take a long time for the wax to melt so start well in advance of when you want to begin. If you get 5-7 jars, you will be able to fill them with different colours of wax to make your rainbow with. You can colour the wax with candle colouring from craft stores, with saved candle ends, or with crayon pieces. Candle colouring will give the best results. You can use beeswax – again from a craft store, or from a beekeeper, or if your budget is more modest, you can use paraffin such as the kind sold in supermarkets for use in canning. 

The wick you buy should be made for taper candles of up to an inch in diameter or less. Wicks come in various 'strengths' by diameter of candle they are meant for. If you use wicks meant for a wider candle, the candle will burn too fast. 

Cut lengths of wick to a little less than twice the height of your tallest jar. Each wick will form two candles. Each household member will need at least one wick, but likely two if they are impatient. 

Get a cardboard box that is taller than the tallest jar and cut a notches across from each other on the top open edge. Then lay a stick or skewer across the box into the notches. This will be where you will lay the wicks for the wax to harden between dips.  The box will also catch the drips, although for good measure, I strongly recommend liberally covering the table and floor with newspaper to catch drips and spills. 

Dipping Your Candles

When the wax in the jars has melted, use oven mitts or canning tongs to move the jars to the centre of the table for dipping. Fold your wick in half and dip both ends into the wax and withdraw. It's best to just dip and remove them quickly so the wick stays cooler and the wax hardens faster. You may need to put the wax back into the bath to re-melt if it starts to congeal too much. 

Dip your wicks in one colour a few times, laying it over the stick to harden between dips. Then pick  your next colour and stick with it for another few dips. Work your way through all the colours at least once and then your rainbow candle is complete. The more you dip the fatter your candle will get. The rainbow won't appear until you burn the candle, so make sure you end with a colour you like. 

As long as they are old enough you can trust them not to knock over the jars and you have someone with a steady hand to transfer the jars in and out of the hot water bath, children can dip candles along with adults. 

Gifting Your Rainbow Candles and Warm Blessings

You can give the candles as is, or write a blessing on the side of the hardened candle using a pin or a toothpick. 'Health and Happiness' 'Love' 'May you never hunger'. 'New job or steady employment' -  Any blessing unique to the person you care about, what you wish for them, is appropriate. Wrap the candle in a new tea towel or some tissue paper and tie with a ribbon, or simply tie a pretty ribbon about it, and your gift is complete and ready for contact free drop off or the mail. 

If you don't have time to make candles for everyone, you can use purchased tapers and write your blessings on those instead.  Children can do this blessing gift as well, by scratching writing or art into the side of the taper candles for their loved ones to burn. To make the writing show up more clearly, you can rub powdered cinnamon or other holiday spice over the scratched in writing. 

Then when your loved ones are missing you, they can burn your candle to  feel you and your well wishes for them in a way that is much more tangible than a video call. 

Photo by Danny Lines on Unsplash

Written by Sophia Kelly

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