Holiday Joy Bubbling Candle Night Light Review

When I was around 11 years old, I was browsing the Christmas decor section of a department store when I spotted something among the wreaths, ornaments, garlands, and Santas that I had never seen before: a box containing a trio of light-up candles. Bubbling plastic candles, to be exact. This was groundbreaking to me, and I was fascinated by the picture on the box. Each clear candlestick was filled with red liquid and had tiny bubbles flowing up from the base of the stick to the flame. I immediately brought this rare find to my mother, who told me these bubbling candles had been around since she was a kid, then OK’ed the purchase. For many Christmases thereafter, they became a regular fixture in our home, plugged in just behind our TV, bubbling away on our living room window sill.

The Holiday Joy Bubbling Night Light is a miniature version of the classic bubbling candle. This one features a red and green base, and a clear “candlestick” filled with red liquid. Once the night-light is plugged in, all you have to do is flip the switch on and wait about one minute for the liquid to heat up and start a-bubblin’. That’s it. The candle gives off a warm glow and just the right amount of brightness to serve as a traditional night-light, and it even features a swiveling base that ensures it will work with horizontal and vertical outlets.

Unlike Mariah Carey, I am not one who counts down the seconds until midnight on Nov. 1 to start celebrating the Christmas season. In fact, I have never really decorated my apartment for the holidays, because I don’t have space in my tiny NYC studio to store ornaments, a tree, or much else. But a night-light? I’ve got room for that! And when the Holiday Joy Bubbling Night Light candle arrived in early October, I considered stashing it away until after Thanksgiving — but after taking one look at it, all those nostalgic memories came flooding back, and I plugged it in right away. And it hasn’t been unplugged ever since, except to move to various outlets in different areas of my apartment.

The reason I love this night-light is pretty obvious: It gives me the warm-and-fuzzies, and it’s also calming. During the day, I keep it near the window where my workstation is set up in my apartment. I can see it bubbling away as I’m typing on my laptop throughout the week, and it feels somewhat soothing. In the evening, I move it to the main living area and turn it on after most of the other lights are out as I watch TV. It’s now become part of my nightly relaxation ritual.