MANY years ago there was a house in my home village where an old gentleman lived alone. His wife had died some years before I was born and there were no children of that union. Because he lived alone, his neighbours kept an eye on him and helped with routine such as shopping, laundry and cleaning.

In return, he would invite them all to join him over the Christmas period, from Christmas Eve until New Year’s Eve, and at times to suit themselves in keeping with their own activities.

He would then share a Christmas drink, a chat and some mince pies (made by a friend) with everyone. It was his way of saying “thank you”.

I never knew his name and remember very little of those days because I was very young, but I do recall the giant candle that was always burning on his sitting room window ledge during the Twelve Days of Christmas. It could be seen from the road and the footpath that passed his home.

He blew the candle out at night but when it was lighting up his window, everyone knew he was at home and looking forward to receiving visitors.

That small but important symbol meant he always enjoyed Christmas and the New Year. Thanks to his own efforts, he was seldom lonely.

It is difficult to determine precisely when candles became associated with the Christmas season but it does seem they were used in Christian churches and Jewish synagogues from the earliest times.

In the synagogue, a candelabrum was made of fine gold and consisted of a central shaft which held a candle, alongside it being six more candle-bearing shafts, three at each side.

Those shafts were decorated with carved objects such as cups, globes and blossom. The presence of lighted candles was a useful mixture of tradition and necessity, as indeed it was in our homes and places of work.

Candles were used to light a whole range of places during the darkest times but from a religious aspect, they always symbolised light in the darkness.

From old records it seems that the earliest Christians believed that candles were too closely associated with pagan customs and practices and so at first they refrained from using them, but by the Middle Ages in this country, candles were being widely used in churches and large houses.

Many placed one huge candle in a commanding position to represent the words of the theologian, Simeon, who referred to the Holy Child as “A light to enlighten the Gentiles”. During the Christmas period of the Middle Ages in this country, it was the practice to install a single huge candle both in the church and in the home and if it went out before midnight on Christmas Eve, it was considered a portent of some unpleasant occurrence.

Normally, these candles were expected to remain alight, being extinguished on Twelfth Night, January 6.

Some people retained the remains of such candles for use during family funerals.

The presence of these large candles gave rise to a custom in several northern countries of presenting a special Yule candle to one’s superiors. For example, people working for the local lord of the manor would present him with a Yule candle because it was cheap to obtain, and it was large so it lasted a long time. It was regarded as a very practical gift.

In some cases, the Yule candles were so large that they could not be accommodated in conventional candle holders, and so larger containers were necessary.

A hollowed-out turnip was sometimes used and in many places, the local blacksmith would create special candlesticks.

In some areas, the Yule candles were decorated with holly or other Christmas decorations, always bearing in mind the risk of fire. One of the most effective presentations was to put on show all the family silver, pewter and highly polished reflective objects so that the burning candles were reflected in their surfaces. That must have produced a beautiful effect. In this country, it became the practice for schoolchildren to present their school master or school mistress, on the last day before the Christmas holidays, with a candle. Similarly, grocers and chandlers would give presents of candles to their customers and there was one curious practice in some mining areas where a wooden board covered with clay to accommodate candles, was used to carry the blazing candles around the streets. I have never come across this practice in this region and it now seems to be obsolete.

I am old enough to remember when candles were necessary purely for lighting one’s way in dark houses and out-buildings, and even today I keep a supply in case the lights go out or we blow a fuse.

Today, a range of colourful, attractive and scented candles are popularly given as very acceptable gifts. It seems that the concept of Yule candles remains very much alive between Christmas and New Year. I wish all readers the compliments of the season and a happy and fulfilling New Year.