How to Make a Luminaria

Luminaria came from Mexico and can now be frequently seen at homes throughout the Southwest. They are displayed during the Christmas season along walkways leading from the street or driveway to a home's front door, welcoming guests to the house.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• White paper bags
• Sand
• Tea lights
• Candle lighter
• Coffee cans
• Tea lights
• Cardboard
• Measuring tape or ruler
• Scissors
• Marker pen
• Awl
• Hammer
• Wooden board
• Vice
• Sand
• Candle lighter

Paper Bag Luminaria

1. Measure the distance from the front door to the driveway or sidewalk. You will want luminaria on both sides of the walkway, 2 to 3 feet apart.
2. Gather enough white paper bags to make all the luminaria. Fill the bottom 2 inches of each bag with sand so they won't blow over in the wind and place them along the walkway.
3. Place a tea light into each bag, pressing it securely in the sand.
4. Light each tea light using a long-handled lighter that will allow you to reach the tea light before you pull the trigger and create the flame.
5. Allow the tea lights to burn out on their own. Remove them and place fresh tea lights in the bag the next night.

Coffee Can Luminaria

6. Collect enough small coffee cans to line your walkway. Remove the paper labels from each.
7. Cut a star shape out of cardboard. Measure carefully so there is 1 inch of space between the bottom of the star and the bottom of the can and that the star is big enough to cover most of one side of the can.
8. Use a marker pen to stencil the holes in the star onto the coffee cans.
9. Place a board horizontally in the vice and secure it. Place the first coffee can over one end of the board and use an awl and hammer to punch small holes on the stenciled marks. Do the same for all the other cans.
10. Add 1 inch of sand to the bottom of each can. Place the cans along the walkway so the stars face the street and press tea lights into the sand.
11. Light the tea lights with a candle lighter.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't want to use a wax tea light and an open flame with the paper bags, buy battery-operated tea lights that flicker like candles. Replace the batteries every night.
• If you don't want to use a wax tea light with the coffee cans, you can use a battery-operated tea light, or you can skip the sand, cut a hole in the bottom of the coffee cans and insert lights from an outdoor string of Christmas lights that have been raised off the ground by means of stiff wires wound around the base of each bulb and stuck into the ground.
• Although white bulbs will give an elegant look, you can also use several colors.
• Consider painting your coffee cans.
• Don't use luminaria if it's very windy or very dry because of the risk of lighting the bags on fire. When it's raining or snowing, the luminaries will be ruined.
• When using wax tea lights or Christmas lights, allow the coffee cans to cool after the lights are extinguished before you touch them.

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