Christmas Heirloom Glow Candle Holder Collection

About this holder

A pedestal holder in an antique, hand-painted finish, with a character or a scene built up on top of a turned column. The light source sits in a chamber inside, so what you see is a warm glow coming out through the openings rather than a flame on top of a candlestick. About seventeen centimetres tall and eight and a half wide. Six designs, and the LED tea light is not included.

The six designs

A Christmas tree, a nativity scene, Santa, a snowman, a nutcracker and a reindeer, each standing on the same turned pedestal. The tree and the nativity are the two that read best in a row because their openings are the widest, and the nutcracker and Santa carry the most painted detail. Each one is finished in the same distressed cream and gold, so mixing two or three together on a table looks intentional rather than random.

How the glow works

The chamber sits inside the piece with an opening at the top, and an LED tea light goes in. Light then comes out through the cut openings in the figure, which is where the effect lives: the shape of the glow changes with the design, so the nativity casts a different pattern of light than the tree does. A flameless LED light is the right thing for this because the piece is built around an even, steady light rather than a flickering flame.

The finish, and how it ages

Painted with a deliberately uneven antique finish, so the recesses are darker and the raised detail is lighter. That is what gives it the hand-me-down look. Keep it out of direct sun, because the paint is the part that fades first, and a soft brush is the only thing that should go near it, since anything damp only drives the dust further into the detail.

Where it stands

A dinner table, a mantel, a hallway shelf, an entryway console, a windowsill that is not damp. At seventeen centimetres it is a tabletop piece, and it is happiest on a surface with something else around it, greenery, a bowl, a stack of books. Because it is lit from inside, it does more work in the evening than it does in daylight, which makes it a piece to put out with the table rather than leave on a shelf all year.

Specifications

Type	Painted pedestal candle holder
Size	About 17 x 8.5 cm
Designs	Tree, nativity, Santa, snowman, nutcracker or reindeer
Light source	LED flameless tea light, in a chamber inside the piece
Candle	Not included

Setting it out

1. Use a flameless tea light

   The chamber is built for an LED light rather than a burning candle, and the glow is steadier for it.

2. Two or three in a row

   Different heights of glow read better in a group than a single piece on an empty table.

3. With greenery

   Pine or eucalyptus around the base sets off the distressed paint, which looks flat against bare wood.

4. Out for dinner, away after

   It is a tabletop piece more than a shelf fixture, and it earns its place when the lights are low.

In the box

• 1 painted pedestal candle holder in the design you choose

Care

Dust it with a soft brush, never a wet cloth, and keep it off damp windowsills so the paint does not lift. Do not put it in water and do not use a wet cloth on the recesses, because that is where the finish is thinnest. Wrap it in paper rather than bubble wrap when it is stored, so the raised detail is not pressed flat.

Lights and safety