Let There Be Light (and Donuts)
December is a month for celebrations across diverse religions and cultures that share a unifying theme: light.
During each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, celebrants light one of the candles on their menorah as part of a prayer for endurance, faith, strength, and enlightenment. Christmas trees are often topped with a golden star, representing the Star of Bethlehem, which is said to have guided the Magi to the birthplace of the infant Jesus. Kwanzaa also illuminates our December nights with its Kinara, a special candleholder that holds seven candles, each representing one of Kwanzaa’s seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Light plays a meaningful part in Winter Solstice traditions, too. Celebrations marking the shortest, darkest day of the year typically involve homemade lanterns meant to encourage reflection and hope and welcome the return of light, as days began to lengthen again.
Inspired by these beautiful traditions, Orwashers has teamed up with talented local candle maker, Erica Werber of Literie Candles - for its own sweet celebration of light (more on this partnership in a minute!). We sat down with Erica to hear her perspective on all things candles. Here’s a bit of what she shared with us...
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Candles are always popular gifts - for our loved ones and ourselves. What do you think makes them so universally and endlessly appealing?
I think Literie candles are specifically giftable because they evoke memories and moments that many people relate to. Lots of scents are created because of shared experiences, or hobbies, and we always say that there is at least one scent in our collection that everyone can connect with. In addition to that, our scents are very clean and subtle, so you don't have to worry about someone being offended by something overly perfumey.
Many of your scents are an aromatic tribute to New York City. But if someone’s lived here - or even visited - they know there are some pretty unpleasant scents associated with the Big Apple. Subway stairwells and garbage bags piled on the sidewalk in August come to mind. Have you thought of but dismissed any scent ideas that evoke some of the grittier parts of life here?
We actually announce some of the more unpleasant New York scents every April 1st as a fun joke. Past announcements have included "Summer in the Subway", "Dirty Water Dog" and "Manhole Steam". We don't actually produce these scents, but they are a fun marketing project each year that tend to go viral.
Tell us about your Lighting the Hanukkah Candles candle. There were many Hanukkah-related scents to choose from, so what made you choose Sufganiyot (which, for those who may not be familiar, are a special and delicious type of jelly donut enjoyed as part of Hanukkah celebrations)?
I actually make my own sufganiyot from scratch, so it was a no-brainer to turn that tradition with my family into a candle. Lighting the menorah each year is always such a sweet and happy memory for families all over the world, and I knew the scent for that candle had to reflect the yummy treats that we eat during that time of year.
What advice do you have for someone trying to choose one of your candles? There are so many great scents to choose from!
Pick the candle whose name speaks to you the most. The one that makes you think of a special moment shared with friends, or a fantastic weekend away with family. I promise they all smell great, and seeing the name of that candle on your coffee table will allow you to reminisce on that moment wherever you are.
If you made an Orwashers-inspired candle, what would you call it, and what would it smell like?
It would definitely be called "Eating Challah on a Friday" and would smell like warm brioche.
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If there’s anything we love as much as Erica's Lighting the Hanukkah Candles candle, it could only be Orwashers’ very own Sufganiyot. Dusted with powdered sugar and packed with raspberry jam from Beth’s Farm Kitchen, these sweet beauties are utterly irresistible (trust us, we’ve tried). So in the spirit of the giving season, we are are launching a special giveaway. One lucky winner will be treated to Erica's Lighting the Hanukkah Candles candle AND a half dozen of our fresh and delicious Sufganiyot. To enter the giveaway, first make sure you’re following both the Orwashers and Literie Candles accounts on Instagram. Then, respond to the announcement post describing one of your favorite holiday traditions and tagging a loved one or friend no later than Sunday, December 22. We’re looking to be inspired, so don’t hold back!
The winner will be announced on Monday, December 23. Please note: winner must be local to NYC and able to pick up prize in-person. And if your comment isn’t the winning entry, don’t worry. You can still light up your holiday feast by ordering some of our Sufganiyot and other seasonal goodies here.
Good luck to those of you who enter, and to our whole Orwashers community, we wish you a bright and delicious holiday season.