Light a Christmas Window Candle to Wish for Family Harmony / 🇮🇪 Ireland

A candle in a window is visible from two sides. The people inside see a light at the edge of the room. Someone outside sees a house that looks ready to receive them. In Irish Christmas traditions, lighting a candle has been a way to ask for a blessing for the family and to think about people looking for a place to stay. You can bring the two thoughts together by naming one person you would like to welcome when you switch it on.

1. Choose a stable windowsill or a small table where the light will show through the glass. Move it far enough back that it stays in place when you touch the curtain.
2. Use a battery candle for your version of the custom. Put it where you can see it from inside as well as from the entrance.
3. As it gets dark on Christmas Eve, switch on the candle. Take a moment to wish your household a good year and remember someone who is away.
4. If you are sharing the evening with others, invite each person to say who they would like to welcome. Switch off the light when the evening is over.

Accounts collected in Ireland give the Christmas candle more than one place in the home. The National Museum of Ireland records a Christmas table candle in Kerry and a belief that a light brings a blessing to the family. Material from the National Folklore Collection describes a light in the window to welcome travellers or to guide the Holy Family. Those examples tell us where people directed their attention on a winter night. Sometimes it was to those around the table. Sometimes it was through the glass to someone still outside. Your window light can hold a little of both meanings.

Once the light is on, look at it from across the room. The window you pass without thinking on an ordinary night now gives you a place to pause and name that welcome.