Have a night off between holiday parties? Try this all-natural DIY by Lacy over at free+native. Rather than the glittery messes we, at times, love, Lacy is sharing instructions for a sweet and rewarding craft as calm and quiet as falling snow. Beeswax candles are unique in that they actually release healthy ions into the air, creating a healthier environment. Enjoy pouring just one candle for the house or an entire batch for a super-sweet gift. Here’s Lacy…

For me, the holidays are all about bringing seasonal nature indoors. Our house is very ethereal and grounded that way. No commercial decorations — only items we can forge and create ourselves, such as holly, berries, and branches to create wreaths, sewn linens, or bowls of tangerines and cranberries. A beeswax holiday candle fully encompasses this vibe. It connects us with an earlier time when things were much more about the changing season, friends and family gathering, and nothing to rely on but magic.

We love purchasing organic beeswax from our local beekeepers at the farmers market, and hand-selecting our spices at The Spice Station in Silver Lake. Because my guy has dreadful allergies, I only burn beeswax candles in our home in order to purify the air, create healing and lessen his asthma. And I refrain from using essential oils in our candles, since cold-pressed oils, like cold-pressed olive or walnut oil, turn toxic after a smoke point of 350-degrees plus, so I use spices in their ground form because they sustain their molecular form at a higher heat point and create less toxicity in the air. It’s also incredibly rewarding buying the spices in their natural form, and grinding them myself. The aroma of freshly ground nutmeg is like nothing on earth.

Don’t be intimidated. This process only takes about 30 minutes, and you’ll feel so empowered while doing it.