I dig candles—so much so that on any given evening, the little balls of flame can be found illuminating my living room, adding pleasant scents and slices of natural night (screw you, Southern California Edison). But with four cats (yes) there’s always the concern that one of my mischievous friends will knock one over and burn the apartment down—or fry her whiskers, which has happened to Martini more times than she can remember. Quick solution? Battery-operated candles. The first time I saw them was in a home owned by super-rich people. I inquired and the host let me pick one up. Click. On. Click. Off. Christmas was approaching, so I made a mental note to buy one for my girlfriend, unaware if she would like it—or think it was the dumbest invention since decaf coffee. Weeks later, she opened my poorly wrapped gift and threw in some C batteries. It’s been on every night since. The biggest selling point is actually the lack of fire. You might fear this will bum you out, but it won’t. Far from it: My girlfriend works early mornings and I stay up until 2 a.m. She flips the switch on and falls asleep while I stay up and work. By the time I get in bed, the candle has been on for hours and there’s no threat of a blaze engulfing the bedroom or forever altering a cat’s face. Better yet, the candle releases a vanilla scent, has a wick, feels like wax and flickers gently just like the real deal. And every new pair of batteries is supposed to pump out 700 hours of light. Beat that, not-fake-fire!

BUNGALOW MARCASSO 2720 E Broadway | Long Beach 90803 562.439.4390

Tags: Buy Curious, candles, cats, fire, Long Beach