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By Felicia Czochanski Bisaro
Thanksgiving might be all about the food, but Friendsgiving is the perfect time to catch up with friends. Popular enough to become its own (unofficial) holiday, Friendsgiving kicks off the holiday season as friends, new and old, gather together over delicious food while reminiscing on memories together. As we age and start to gain more responsibilities, friendships can start looking more like monthly catch ups over brunch or dinner than bonding over fun adventures and experiences. That’s why keeping friend gatherings intentional is so important — so you’re not just chatting about the things you’ve done but actually doing them together again.
Friendsgiving is the perfect opportunity for this. If you’re the host, or even if not, think about planning an activity the group can do together in addition to having a delicious feast. That way, after the turkey sleepies set in, you can’t let yourselves zone out and settle into a movie or show on the couch but instead, rally to do a craft that’s fun and keeps the catch-up conversation going while you make new memories together — like DIY autumnal candle making!
Check out the steps below on how to upcycle candles and jars you find at Goodwill® to create the ultimate Friendsgiving activity that doubles as a party favor. Plus, shopping at Goodwill around the holidays not only helps you get what’s on your list at a fraction of retail price, but it gives back to your local community at the same time. Not only that, but what you’ll find at Goodwill — like jars to hold your DIY candles, will be more fun and unique than the uniform options you might find in a retail store instead.
Thinking about adding DIY candle making to your Friendsgiving festivities? Follow these steps below.
1.Head to your favorite Goodwill store
First things first, a shopping trip is in order. Check out the shelves at your local Goodwill store for a few items that will be important to this craft. Stock your cart up with candles that still have wax in them, and glass or clay containers that look like they’d be the perfect decorative vessel to hold a new candle in.
A few other things you’ll need for this craft that you might already have at home or can find at Goodwill, or another store on your way home — candle wicks and essential oils.
2.Take a few minutes to prep your stations
Before the guests arrive, or as Friendsgiving dinner is wrapping up, start to prep the crafty ingredients. Remove all tags from the thrifted items, set out a pot, spoons and a stirrer. When the group is ready to get started, have everyone pick out which candle scent they want from the preexisting candle and which new candle holder they want for their new candle.
3.Scoop and melt
Scoop out the wax from the existing candles and set aside in separate bowls. Then, for each scent, add wax to a pot on the stove and it let melt on low heat for about 5-10 minutes. Depending on which preexisting candles you found in Goodwill, you might want to mix and match different waxes together to create a more layered scent. You can add more scent with any essential oils you might have.
4.Pour and Set
Once the wax is melted, in the bottom is each candle holder, adhere the wick to the bottom and hold above the candle as you carefully pour in the hot wax. You can use two people for this step to make it easier! As the candle starts to set, you can wrap the extra-long wick around a pencil or something similar like a candlestick across and lay flat across, so it does not droop into the hot wax.
5.Repeat!
Keep the fun going until everyone’s candle is made. Don’t forget to document the process throughout. Once the candles are poured, you’ll want to let them set at least overnight or up to a week. Knowing you might be making this craft over a holiday where sometimes people are only in town for a night or two, you can carefully transport your candle home and let it set there versus needing to find the time to pick up another day.
Enjoy! Take your candle home and every time you light it, you’ll be sure to think of your friends and the fun memories from the night you made them together.
🕯️Light up your Friendsgiving with a cozy DIY candle-making night!
