Do you find it strange at all that so many people still love candles?

I mean, ever since we got electricity, candles have been non-essential, let's call them, right?

An obsolete technology.

But they have not disappeared.

Every generation seems to rediscover them.

Why do you think that is?

Yeah, it's a very interesting question. It's interesting to think about how the job that

candles do has changed over time. You could go back 5,000 years to the first things that were

light candles, and I would describe it as portable fire. It's portable

fire that lets you find your way or lets you do work when it's dark. This might be a little

clay lamp with oil in it and a wick or something. The earliest records that we know about would be

in ancient Egypt, a pithy reed just dipped in some animal fat. I see.

But we see wicked candles, maybe 3,000 years ago. A lot of records that the Romans were using

them, it's wick and wax, and it's essentially what we still have today. Especially in the last 50

years, the job is no longer utilitarian. It might be decor,

or even if it is about light, it's about setting a mood. And then the other jobs of home

fragrancing or self-care indulgence, I think all those things together with that primal light experience is just something that really speaks to a lot of

people. I personally feel sort of drawn to the light like I'm a primitive bug.

That was Steve Horenziak. He's president of the National Candle Association. The candle industry does about

$10 billion a year in global sales, and that number has been rising fast. A lot of this

increase is driven by scented candles, but there are also tapers, pillars, tea lights, votives,

and more. I don't know about you, but to me, this candle boom is somewhat surprising and

...