Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel
Luminary lanterns addd a warm, inviting glow to cold winter holidays. For traditional luminary lanterns, choose white paper bags that are thinner and not totally opaque so the paper doesn’t block the light of the candles. If there is apt to be snow or rain on the night you plan to light them, wrap the base of each bag in a plastic bag to keep the candles and lantern dry. To make them more stable, after you have opened the bags, fold the open edges over about one inch.
Pick a Location
Decide where your path will be and measure the length. This will give you an idea of how many lanterns you will need to make. If you don’t have a path to your front door, consider a porch railing or window sill for your luminaries. For a close grouping, plan on enough for lanterns to be one foot apart; for wider spaces between lanterns, place them two feet apart. Do you want them on one side of the path or on both sides?
Prepare the Bags
Cut holes in the expanded bags. Try stenciling on designs or shapes for the cut-outs, which will cast interesting shadows, especially if it is a snowy evening. A hole punch is useful for making stars or other designs. Be aware that any openings expose the flame to open air and increase the risk of the lantern blowing over or the candle being snuffed out by a prevailing breeze.
Weight the Bags with Sand
Fill each bag with two inches of sand. This step is vital as it keeps your luminary from blowing over and safeguards against fire. Common lunch bag size lanterns will take about two cups of sand. If you don’t have sand on hand, you can use kitty litter. However, kitty litter is lighter than sand so you will need three inches or three cups to weight the lantern.
Arrange Your Lanterns
Place the bags outside in the location you have selected. Do this before adding candles to the bags. If you put candles in the bags before you place them, they may get jostled, burying the wick in the sand.
Add and Light the Candles
On the night you plan to use them, after the sun has set, nestle a candle into the bed of sand at the bottom of each bag. Light the candle with a long lighter, or light the candles before placing them in the bags. Because the paper bags are flammable, be sure to anchor your candles firmly in the sand and light them carefully to avoid igniting the bag.
Extinguish Luminaries After Your Event
Remember to blow out the candles after your guests have left. Luminaries must not be left unattended so as not to accidentally set fire to your property. Pick up the bags when you have finished using them. Picking up the bag by the bottom will prevent the bottom from falling out and spilling the sand.
If you plan to make these welcoming lanterns an ongoing tradition, consider using something sturdier than paper bags for the containers. Recycled metal cans, jars or transparent milk or water jugs can hold your candles to make unique and longer lasting luminaries. If using lighted candles seems too risky, try battery powered candles or LED seed string lights in your lanterns. Some come with a 6-hours-on-18-hours-off switch that you can set for multiple nights of welcoming lights. You and your guests will appreciate the special touch luminaries add to your holiday entertaining!
Photo courtesy Pinterest
