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Gel Candle Horror Stories

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Gel Candles have been around for some time now but very little is known about their safety. You might have heard stories of how safe they are and horror stories too. In my opinion I believe them to to be safe, however I think you need to know where your candle has come from, who has made it and if it has been made correctly.

GelCandles.com tells us a story about Expoloding Gel Candles and urban legends even covered the same article and questioned its authenticity. Breakthechain.org also has this exact letter listed as a chain mail sent out to spill myths and legends amongst gullible people. There have been numerous re-calls which has spiked the rumor mill even the Body shop had to recall their gel candles. Forget the chain mails and recalls and ask your self this , at the end of the day do you think they are safe?
If your still interested in making some gel candles then I suggest reading as many sites as possible on How to make gel candles before even ordering in your supplies. Why not just 1 website I hear you say ? because as with life the best way to learn things is from our mistakes, so by reading others websites you are learning from other peoples mistakes and its going to make your gel candle making and burning experience so much more pleasurable.

If the worst happens do you know how to treat a burn ?

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Book Review: Las Mañanitas

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to  share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.