Although I remain cynical about “must have” presents I’m aware there are fads, gifts which are all the rage one moment and forgotten the next. The hula hoop, the fidget spinner… Or what about those whistling keyrings, which did exactly what it said on the tin: you’d whistle, and the keyring would whistle back to tell you where your keys were. I can’t recall ever losing my keys to be honest, but I’d happily buy a whistling remote control – we’re forever misplacing ours down the side of the sofa or underneath a dog.
One fad which baffles me though, and which is still hanging around, is the scented candle.
As a child of the 70s & 80s I’ve sat through plenty of power cuts. The last big one I can remember was over Christmas/New Year 85/86 when we’d all gathered round the TV and the continuity announcer had got as far as “and now, Last of the Summer Wine” before everything went off. (Meaning we missed the disappointing debut of Seymour, Foggy’s replacement, although I’m reluctant to label it a failure given that the show ran for another 24 years.)
During all those power cuts I don’t recall anybody ever venturing the opinion that the whole experience would be made much more pleasant if only the candles smelled nice! We never once prayed for a hint of sandalwood or lavender to help us through the ordeal.
One area in which the candle could stand some improving (although maybe not so much now with the advent of the phone torch?) is that the one time you need them is the very time it’s too damn dark to find them.
Hmm.
I wonder, do you think Dragons Den might be interested in an idea for whistling candles I’ve just had…?
Andrew Curnow's Ramblings 