Teaching a child to hold a sparkler for the first time
Where to stand, how to hold the wire and what to do when it burns out: the routine we teach at the counter.
Storing leftovers safely
Where to keep the boxes after Deepavali, and when to give them away.
Almost every family has a few boxes left after Deepavali. Stored well, they keep for Karthigai Deepam or the New Year.
Put everything back in its own box and close the lid. Do not mix loose sparklers with flower pots in a bag. Then keep the boxes together in a tin or carton.
Choose a dry cupboard away from the kitchen, the pooja lamp, the water heater and any window that gets afternoon sun. In Chennai’s monsoon, damp is the main enemy: a pinch of silica gel in the carton helps. Keep it high, out of children’s reach.
Check the boxes before you use them. If a box is damp, swollen or smells unusual, do not try to dry it. Soak it in a bucket of water and throw it away with the dry waste.
Use everything within a year. If you are not going to, give it to a neighbour with children before the next monsoon arrives.
