December is the worst month of the year for home candle fires, and in December candles start more than half of the home fires that begin with decorations. 4 of these 15 bar decor ideas use a real flame as pictured. The rest run on garland, ribbon, ornaments and battery lights, and the section at the end says how to light those 4 safely.
1. Garland-Wrapped Bar Cart
Wind a pine garland through the cart's frame and tuck a strand of battery fairy lights into it. No cord to trip over, and the cart still rolls.
2. Candlelit Back Bar
Clusters of pillar candles at different heights make bottles glow like nothing else. Keep the greenery and labels well clear of the flames.
3. Ornament-Filled Glass Bowls
Fill an empty ice bucket or apothecary jar with ornaments. It costs nothing if you already have spares, and it reads as decor, not clutter.
4. Mini Christmas Tree on the Bar
A tabletop tree hung with miniature bottles is the bar's own Christmas tree. Use a battery-lit tabletop tree so there's no cord across the counter.
5. Wreath on the Bar Cabinet
Hang a small wreath on the cabinet doors with an over-the-door hook. It turns the bar cabinet into a focal point without touching what's inside.
6. Tartan and Plaid Bar
A tartan runner and plaid ribbon on the decanters suit a whiskey bar better than tinsel. Scotch on the shelf finishes the theme.
7. Gold and White Glam Bar
White flocked branches, gold-rimmed coupes and nothing red. It carries straight from Christmas to New Year's Eve.
8. Rustic Farmhouse Bar
Pinecones, a galvanized bucket and buffalo check. Most of it is free if you have a yard with trees.
9. Miniature Bottle Advent Calendar
Fill a 24-drawer box with miniature bottles for a tasting a day. It's decor through December and a party trick every night.
10. Snowy Bar Shelves
A dusting of faux snow and a few bottle-brush trees between the bottles. Lay a cloth strip down first and it lifts out in January.
11. Velvet Ribbon Bottle Wraps
A red velvet ribbon bow on every bottle is the fastest decor there is. Five minutes and a spool.
12. Brass Taper Candlesticks
A row of brass candlesticks looks like an old hotel bar at Christmas. Tapers drip and tip, so give them a tray and keep the cedar away from the flame.
13. Lantern-Lit Porch Bar
Candle lanterns on a porch bar welcome guests before they're inside. Battery candles fit the same lanterns if the porch is busy.
14. Christmas Village Back Bar
Line the back bar shelf with a small lit village. It turns the bottle wall into a scene guests stop to look at.
15. Fireplace Mantel Bar
A tray of decanters on the mantel makes the fireplace the bar. Keep the garland and stockings well up and away from the fire.
Are Candles Safe on a Christmas Bar?
Only with space around them. In the NFPA home candle fires fact sheet (2009–2013), December was the peak month for home candle fires, at 12% of the year's total. The four worst days were New Year's Day, Christmas, New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve. In 58% of those fires, something that could burn, such as decorations, was too close to the candle.
Decorations make it worse. The NFPA fact sheet on home fires that began with decorations (2011–2015) found that candles started more than half (55%) of December's home decoration fires, against about a third (32%) from January to November. In two of every five decoration fires, the decoration was too close to a heat source.
That matters on a bar, because a bar at Christmas is garland, ribbon, paper labels and pine packed around the flames. The ideas that use real flame are #2 (Candlelit Back Bar), #12 (Brass Taper Candlesticks), #13 (Lantern-Lit Porch Bar), #15 (Fireplace Mantel Bar). For each one:
- Move the garland, ribbon and greenery so nothing that can burn sits near the flame.
- Use flameless LED candles anywhere the decor is packed tight, which on most bars is everywhere.
- Blow out every candle when you leave the room. In 18% of the candle fires in the NFPA data, the candle was left unattended.
NFPA's figures cover 2009–2013 (candles) and 2011–2015 (decorations), the periods of the fact sheets linked here.
What Should You Pour From a Christmas Bar?
Our 15 Christmas cocktails are built on bottles we've reviewed, with the strength of each one worked out. For the bottles themselves, see the whiskey gifts we'd actually buy.
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