In the Glow of Candlelight

Sarah at Pink of Perfection jotted down ten creative ways to enjoy the holiday season that have 'nothing to do with buying presents'. One idea she shared is to have an evening filled with candlelight. Which reminds me of one such evening that happened not too long ago.

My sister had invited a houseful of friends for a Christmas party. Prior to their arrival, the power went out. With no electricity to light a dark winter's evening and no oven to finish baking the goodies, what does a person do....cancel? Here is how my sister turned this unexpected event into something quite memorable: 

"The Bee's were the first to arrive, followed shortly by the Emm’s who carried a small Coleman lantern in hand since the power in our street had moments before also gone out. We were sure hoping it would not be long till the power came on for -27C for the night would be mighty cold.

One by one our guests arrived, and I ran around lighting candles (Brenda, that candelabra you gave me once looked absolutely gorgeous). The kids found flashlights, neighbours phoned the electric company, and we all laughed at the unexpected turn of events. Well, the power remained off for about two hours. My son and the other young guys enjoyed the fire in the fireplace; my daughter and the other girls ran from the basement, to the living room, to her room with the flashlights.

The adults gathered, where else, in the kitchen. I had a Christmas puzzle spread out on the table. A few people worked on that by candle and lamp light, but mostly we sat around, visited, and laughed. Thankfully, most of the food was prepared – lots of cold stuff, and the glazed meatballs and bean dip kept warm on the stove.

One dish I was really looking forward to serving (well, actually eating as many as I could) was the good old water chestnuts soaked in soy sauce and rolled in bacon. Well, no oven, so no bacon rolls. Except, I noticed later in the evening there was one bacon roll sitting on an otherwise empty plate. I laughed to Hubby and the other men who were gathered around the other food in the dining room about this – one fellow spoke up, “Oh, I tried those – they were good! I ate two!” See, in a dark room lit cozily by candlelight and warmed by the laughter of good friends, even raw bacon can taste delicious! We even got to enjoy a chocolate fondue once the little tea light melted all the chocolate.

It was a WONDERFUL evening, despite not going quite as planned, and I think a party none of us will ever forget. Everyone left saying what a wonderful time they had, and that is what throwing a party is all about!"

Have yourself a very cozy evening...
maybe even light a candle or two!

Brenda

xox