Mar 1

Mar 1 Candle Wednesday

Candle Wednesday | How we transformed taco night into something extra special.

Last Wednesday night was pretty typical night at home. After homework was completed, instruments practiced, etc. we all sat down at the dinner table to have tacos. We started to talk about our day and I mentioned how I had recently read a book encouraging families to swap out their bright, overhead dining room lighting for candelabras and dimmer switches instead. I explained how the book author claimed when he and his family did it, over the course of a few weeks their dinner conversations lasted a little bit longer and he and his family really took the time to enjoy their meal and listen to one another. I asked if this was something we could try the following week. Everyone seemed pretty up for it and then my kids asked if we had any candles in the house so we could try it right away? We all jumped up and grabbed the first candle we could find from any other room in the house. We lined up five or six candles down the center of the table and turned off the overhead.

Our impromptu candlelight dinner, with tacos!

It was kind of magical, honestly. Here we were around the table, eating our regular weekday tacos, and everyone asked each other about our days. “What was the best part of your day?” “Did anything exciting happen?” Stuff like that. Each of our kids, (including my husband who is notoriously against eating in shadows) mentioned what a wonderful night it was and they “can’t wait for next Wednesday”! As my husband said, “best laid plans… sometimes they work out great!”

Our dripless taper candles were purchased from a sweet couple at Hygge Life in Denver, Colorado.

Adding taper candles gave us more light at the dinner table.

Not that I needed an excuse to run off to Target, but of course I had to stock up on our candle supply and candelabras. After all, I promised them I would be better prepared the following Wednesday. My oldest son had also asked if we could make it even more of a special night by having a little dessert? I laughed (he knows dessert and family-time are my weak spots) but I was just happy to sit around the table with them a little bit longer. We even included cloth napkins with our next dinner! Far from fancy, but all the more special.

When the cloth napkins are set and the candles are lit, the kids excitedly ask “is it Candle Wednesday?”

Ironically, everyone started to excuse themselves from the table once I started talking about the book more. I guess I’ll keep the rest of the readings to myself, but as long as we are implementing them in our lives and it makes a difference for the better, it’s a win -win, right? Now onto my next big proposal... breaking up with our phones! I’m sure it will go over just as well!

{wishful sigh...}