Growing up, from birth to just before I was a teenager, we would drive down to Beatrice, Nebraska each Christmas to spend the holiday with my grandparents, aunt and cousins. It was a long trip (well at least by kid standards in the days before DVDs or reclining minivan seats), usually taking about 8-9 hours.
As we arrived, I loved the image of rolling into my grandparent's neighborhood and coming around the corner in their small town to see this home glowing in the snow. Often, they'd have luminarias glowing. Or if they didn't already, the next day, we'd go out to the garage with my grandfather and fill paper bags with sand and candles. Seeing them lit at night really meant that Christmas was finally here.
Since moving to Minnesota 7 1/2 years ago, we started the holiday tradition of making luminarias, too. The first few years, we did brown paper bags. Then we found some specifically made for using for this purpose. They were silver and lined and had snowflake cutouts in them.
Then about three years ago, Brian found these. The Arctic ICE Lantern.*
You simply fill them with water and allow them to freeze outside (well, if you live in a climate like Minnesota, this works. But it would work in a freezer, too. Here they freeze for about 8-12 hours and then you take them out. Because the base of the mold is slightly elevated, it prevents the middle from freezing, so you get, essentially, a frozen pot.
Brian has it as his personal mission each year to make as many as we can. Our neighbor saw him running in and out with frozen buckets the other day and called across the fence to ask if Brian was working on his Christmas ice project again.
We then cart them over to my parents house on Chrismas Eve Eve (the 23rd) to line their driveway and porch.
We had family over last night so started off with the 8 we had here.
And here is the effect.
Two more froze overnight, so by Christmas Eve Eve, if Brian keeps churning them out, we should have about two dozen.
*And I have not received any compensation for talking about this product. I just love them :)
10 comments:
That's absolutely BEAUTIFUL, Molly! I love that idea! It would be a perfect way for us to show some holiday cheer next year, given that Kyle isn't fond of putting up Christmas lights on the house. Thanks!
Just a FYI, ice cream buckets and other buckets work too!!! But I guess the shape look nice too!!! We have been doing this for years!
Here is what a local cemetery does up here every year:
http://hometownfocus.us/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=25&ArticleID=2397
ohhhh! That's pretty! Too bad they wouldn't stay solid very long during this lovely south Louisiana winter!!
ohhhh! That's pretty! Too bad they wouldn't stay solid very long during this lovely south Louisiana winter!!
Sorry for the double! It told me the word verification was not correct and posted anyway!
Yes, an ice bucket would work, you just have to be careful and watch it during the freezing as that little indent in the bottom of the "official" buckets creates a warm spot and helps prevent freezing through the middle.
Those are REALLY cute!
Those are gorgeous! I wish I lived in a colder climate dang it!
How magical! I miss snow. I grew up in Chicago but here in Nashville we don't get snow. Sigh. Merry Christmas!
Amy from Blog Frog
gorgeous! absolutely gorgeous!!!! i so wish we could do these.
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