Candle

If I'm energetic on a Dec. 24th night, I'll take in several churches, and by no means will they all be Roman Catholic. I've got friends who sing in choirs all over the place. Why not hear as much live Christmas music as possible in a city where there seems to be a church on very corner? I have no set routine for the midnight Mass except that I prefer one that truly commences at that hour. Earlier in the evening, I'll be at the old Guilford Avenue house with my extended family, and once the noise quiets, I'll slip out into a December night in search lighted beeswax candles and four-alarm incense.

Driving along Route 136, Indian Springs Farm is hard to miss, with its dilapidated structures protruding from gently rolling hills. A three-story brick barn with silos adorning each corner stands out among the assortment of aging buildings on the 850-acre farm. The history of the property is as colorful and alluring as the architecture. It served as a stopover point for French troops during the Revolutionary War, an alleged hiding place for Confederate weaponry during the Civil War, and a backdrop for a scene in a feature film in 2004.

Crafting furniture gives teens fresh start Fells Point has long been known for its waterfront views. For its cobblestone streets and narrow lanes. For its eclectic shops and charming pubs. But for its furniture-making? Not exactly. But ask any of the young furniture-makers enrolled in the Living Classrooms Foundation's Fresh Start program, and they'll tell you: Fells Point is their High Point. It's where they create their outdoor wooden furniture. The 10-month Fresh Start program provides hands-on job training for local at-risk youth, ages 16 to 19. Along with guidance from carpentry instructors, the students hand-make and sell Adirondack-style furniture pieces, including the "Fells Point Chair" (above, right, $220)

Every year it begins with a knock on the door, followed by a long moment of anticipation. When the teacher finally nods, the children enter a familiar room transformed by darkness. With the windows covered, the only light in the movement arts studio flickers from a few candles. One by one, the students file past a freshly constructed winter garden, a spiraling path of greenery that leads to a place of light guarded by a quiet angel from the eighth grade -- another piece of magic. Along the way, the children hear the tinkling voices of glockenspiels, sounds that summon old melodies and simpler times.

Going to church may be good for the soul, but some Dutch researchers say it may not be so healthy for the lungs. The candles and incense regularly burned during religious services emit high levels of particulate matter, tiny airborne flecks that are considered one of the most harmful forms of air pollution, according to a new study by scientists at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. The researchers measured air quality at a small chapel and a large basilica in Maastricht, finding that the air in both places contained particulate matter at levels up to 20 times higher than what is considered safe to breathe under European air pollution standards.

A little gift for the senses LM-FOccitane makes heavenly scented beauty products and candles that exude such heady fragrances as lavender, vanilla and oranges. And for a limited time M-y this month only M-y the company is making available an apple puree-scented candle with a cause. A portion of the proceeds from the $22 candle will benefit the American Foundation for the Blind. LM-FOccitane products are available at www.loccitane.com and at the LM-FOccitane boutique in BethesdaM-Fs Montgomery Mall.

The tribe has spoken. New tiki torches and candles from Tiki Outdoor Natural Flame Lighting are decorative and stylish additions to the backyard party. Forget Survivor -- conduct your own tribal council with the attractive 60-inch-high Royal Polynesian Bamboo Tiki torch (left, $5.99) with attached snuffer cap, plastic fuel canister, and flame guard, or the 72-inch-high pre-filled Ready 2 Light Island Copper torch ($14.99) which comes with disposable fuel canisters. Other ambient torches include the metal Amber Sun Tiki with glass canister and the Ocean Blue Gel Garden Candle with clear canister.

EARLY yesterday morning, after the heat wave had broken, there was a breeze through Baltimore that made the big, shady maple trees in the clover-covered courtyard of the Samester Parkway Apartments quake. It made seven "We'll Miss You" balloons outside unit 7010 bounce against the pavement. It was an eerily peaceful breeze, accompanied by the rain-forest rattle of 17-year cicadas, like a moment in a novel of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A candle did not have a chance in this breeze, which is why the 18 that were lighted during the prayer vigil the night before had died.

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