Our Monthly Tip: Make Sand Candles For Your Outdoor Memorial Service

A sand candle made with pieces of shells offers a mystical mood for the memorial.
Credit: instructables.com

Our Tip of the Month

If you live near a body of water, making sand candles is a great group activity for a celebration of life or memorial service. Any ocean, river or lake will do, as long as there is sand and the capability to make fire (or use a camp stove). Making sand candles can be a fun group activity infused with creativity and the sharing of memories. Incorporating cremation ashes into the candle-making is also a possibility.

Sharing memories on the vast landscape of a beach with fire can be a cathartic
experience of a lifetime.

How-To Suggestions

Get friends together at the beach to have an activity late in the day. You can spend the afternoon beach-combing or exploring the shoreline, collecting shells and whatever pieces of beauty you may find.

Afterward, have a bonfire or use a camp stove to melt wax to make the sand candles. Everyone can gather together to make sand candles while sharing stories of the person who died. Incorporate the beach treasures you have found or cremation ashes into the sand candles.

What you’ll need:

• Paraffin (or old candles to melt)
• Wick and stick to hold the wick while the wax hardens
• Sand, cremation ashes, and any shells from the beach
• Campfire (or camp stove fire)
• Old pot to melt the wax and something to stir it (a thrift store is great for these items)

Sand candles are easy to make and only require a few ingredients.
Credit: instructables.com

To make the sand candles:

• Melt wax over the fire or camp stove
• Dig a hole in the sand
• Embed your beach treasures into the sides and bottom of the hole and arrange them in the sand (you can also incorporate cremation ashes at this point)
• Lay a stick across the sand indentation. Place a wick into the center of it and place one end of the wick across the stick to hold it up (see image)
• Slowly pour the wax into the mold, making sure that you fill up the entire mold
• Let harden and cut off excess wick
• Light and enjoy!