I have several items in silver that many folks would categorize as unnecessary. I would wholeheartedly agree with them. But this isn’t a post on one of life’s necessities, period. 
If that bothers you, or if you are of the same ilk as Mylai Dimaculangan, my by now infamous fishpan detractor, or if you felt close to regurgitating your dinner reading my post on antique sterling silver grape scissors, then do not read the rest of this post. Fair warning was given. This post is about a silver and wood candle snuffer that usually emerges from our cabinets around the Christmas holidays. With a conical head made of sterling silver, it elegantly suffocates the flames of your tapered candles at the end of a festive meal. I know, roll your eyes all you want, but you don’t really need earrings nor a cellphone other than the PHP2,000 minimalist version, and I would wager that most of you probably have both. This is a rather special silver table doodad for me as the length of the stick is an unusually long at 16 inches…
Designed for a church (or castles, country estates) where the candelabras tend to be quite majestic and large, the lengthy stick allows the priests, or their assistants to easily 
reach put out the many candles needed to illuminate the altars (or vast dining halls and humongous Flemish tapestries in private homes). This particular piece was part of an order made by some priests but who at the last minute either cancelled their order or reduced the number of pieces in their order. I was thrilled to acquire this unique piece, despite its being used only 3-4 times a year. Had I purchased it at a silversmith in London (one of the best places to get unnecessary silver doodads) I would have paid a princely sum. Sorry, I am not at liberty to divulge the manufacturer. Beautifully detailed, carefully balanced, it is like holding a magic wand of sorts and I take a bizarre pleasure in using it when a nice dinner has come to an end (so does the Kid, by the way). Practically speaking, a candle snuffer allows you to easily reach the candles without leaning over the table or getting up on a chair even. It also prevents melted wax from being sprayed all over your precious tablecloth as is often the case when you blow it with your own lung power. Better yet, if you have guests who are laway (saliva) abundant, you avoid a wet spray if you are at the opposite end of the blower’s trajectory… that alone is reason enough for me to justify this dining luxury…
Oh and here is a Mrs. Marketman table tip. Once you have set your table and it is perfect, light your candles and let them “catch” for a minute or two. Then put them out (with your snuffer if you have one) and later when the dinner proper starts, you will have a much easier time lighting your candles…
18 Responses
I LOVE candle snuffers. I have always been fascinated by them. I bought one although not as long as yours but the snuffer ( cone) itself is in the figure of a young lady with a bouffant skirt). It is made of pewter. I have another one that is silver ( though not sterling perhaps) which I use daily to snuff out the candle when I finish prayers. Indeed it saves one from getting burned (eyebrows and eye lashes included).Sometimes sparks fly and get into the eye when one blows it out. My grandson finds joy in using the candle snuffer whenever he gets the chance to use it. I hope I will be able to get one just like yours.
I always use mine, the one you gave me years ago. My pet peeve are people, some in my household included, who blow out the candles unbidden and spray wax all over an expensive tablecloth.
MM mine got it as a gift from my MIL years ago. Since my kids love to blow out the candles, I only use it once or twice a year.
If you want something done right, you must have the right tools and this is one of them. No candle fumes at all if you use a candle snuffer and is a dandy gadget in the household.
something that sits at my salon all year round… since we light candles a lot, esp on winter time
You’re not getting any flak from me. I love shiny, pretty, even useless doodads. This one happens to be useful though.
Ikea has very cool, modern-looking snuffers that go for 1.99 USD. That should keep the detractors away… :-)
MM, i’ve only been visiting this site for a few months, but I find your site very, very, very informative and the pics you’re posting (bibingka, puto bungbong, etc…make me want to retire back there at the earliest. I’m also striving to retire early, but not as early as you did, can’t afford it yet with 2 kids still about to go to college ;-).
All i can say is flaunt it if you got it (mylai on the other hand may not think of herself as an elitist, but in reading the fish pan post of hers, i can smell she is a bigot,,,yukking at a sight of a fried fish,,,I believe having vertigo has something to do with it ;-) I wish i could see her face on that googled picture of her while she is spending a weekend in paradise. You made her famous you know ;-).
My wife loves candles, scented or not and we have all kinds of candles in every corner of the house. She even lit 12 green candles on new years eve(feng shui), i’m thinking of getting her a snuffer now.
We surround ourselves with things that are either frivolous or fabulous. For me, the best are those that are frivolous AND fabulous. Actually have a post on this topic in my blog. Hurray for candle snuffers, fish pans, grape scissors and finger bowls!
Snuffers are a practical and mess-free way of extinguishing candles but a lot of people (including me) still love to blow candles as if reminiscing the birthdays we had as kids. But I would gladly use a snuffer and snuff the candles til they’re snuffed. Good snuff good stuff.
When my grandmother passed away, we granchildren we’re given the opportunity to take what we wanted from her home. These were non-willed, miscellaneous items that were otherwise be donated.
While my siblings and cousins fought over the big ticket items, I chose her silver egg scissors with matching egg cups, a St. Anthony statue, a set of pewter wall sconces and candle holders, and a couple of candle douters (snuffers).
I always remember my grandmother using her douters to extinguish the candles. She would make a wish each time she put a light out. It was clean, effortless, and did not leave any lingering odors. But most importantly, it was the “proper” way to do it.
My favorite douter is the one she used often, which is made of silver and shaped like a horn. It was her also her favorite piece because it reminded her of a time when life was simple, the pace wasn’t chaotic, and people were polite to each other.
Whenever I use the douter, I make myself a wish as well.
Gosh, you guys really AMAZE me. AMAZE me. I am stunned. So many folks who didn’t throw a tuyo fit and who actually understand the allure of a snuffer. And Kieran, I have learned something from you today. I always thought they should invent a candle wick scissors to trim those long dark wicks but duhh…they thought of that centuries ago…its called a douter! Yipes, I am truly intrigued. And they sell douters with candle snuffers combined! Hmmm, now I am on the prowl for one… Then again, if you want to be totally practical, old dull nose hair trimmers might work well. heehee. Thanks everyone, I am really amazed by the group of folks who have become regular readers on this site…you all make it a much better blog because of your insights!
Marketman, I would like to share with you the reaction I got when I told my family that (wow!) you had a silver candle snuffer. “Why did they use candles?” one family member asked. “For the special holiday dinner,” I replied. At this point, my five-year old daughter got a peek at the photo with three candles and blurted, “Brown out?”
lizechev, haha! I got a good laugh out of that description. Actually, we save the tapered candles from dinners in a box and we re-use them during brownouts and blackouts, so you can have elegant no electricity nights as well! Btw, do you think we are the only country in the world that refers to them as brown outs? I always thought brown outs were during daylight and blackouts at night… :)
Hi MM!
And I always thought “brown-outs” are a shorter version of “black-outs”. Very nice candle snuffer! And yes, that makes me remember my sacristan days too!
I had the idea as a child that brownouts were for isolated electrical problems, like when Meralco has to fix a line and a few blocks were affected. Blackouts always come to mind when the government’s gotten itself into a fix and decides to impose martial law; blackouts to keep the insurgents and the rest of us quivering in the darkness, wondering what the heck the palace is up to now. Blackouts are wider in scope, usually the city if not the entire country. “A news blackout” (don’t think they ever have a news brownout!)
Was browsing through an old Real Living Magazine (Feb 2005 or 2006) and saw that Regalong Pambahay sold (stainless steel?) snuffers for php200. Inexpensive no?
Candygirl, sounds like a good deal to me! Mila and Dodi, isn’t it amazing how an entire nation readily uses the term brownout and we are not entirely sure what it means??? Heehee.