How to Enjoy a Fireplace in Your Home When You Don't Have One

Especially when the winter holidays come around, those of us who don’t have a fireplace miss it, and wish we could have one at least for the holidays. Some of us who have fireplaces and don’t want to deal with the mess of a wood fireplace or to pay the cost of running a gas fireplace will also like this solution.

Last year, my sister and I were talking long distance, and she was very wistful about wanting a fireplace. Later, I was shopping and noticed a video of a fireplace burning, and I bought it for her. Because it was so cheap and I wondered how well it would work, I also bought one for myself. I was thinking of it as kind of a joke, like a screensaver for my TV.

However, this year I feel very differently about it. I’m at home this year, not running like crazy, and my income is more limited than it was last year. I took out my Christmas CD’s and DVD’s, and there was the fireplace video. I put it in the player, thinking that I’d just play it for an hour. Well, I’m now leaving it in the DVD player as my default disc! It’s the perfect solution and it provides an ambiance that I never expected it to provide. I have the best of both worlds. I see a fireplace out of the corner of my eye, and hear a fireplace in the background, but I don’t have to pay for my gas fireplace, and if it was wood, I wouldn’t have to tend it or clean up the mess. I’m also thinking now of different people I could give a DVD to as a gift or a guest gift.

The fireplace videos are simply recordings of real fireplaces burning, and they are long recordings, so you don’t see 30 seconds of a sequence, then the same 30 seconds over and over again. The best ones loop after about 45 minutes, so you don’t have to start them several times if you want a fireplace all day. The one I have has several options. I can have a roaring fire, a moderate fire, a flickering fire, or a fire that goes from a new roaring fire to a dying flickering fire. I always choose the moderate fire, because it looks good – a healthy burning fire - every time I catch a glimpse of it. For audio, I can have the fireplace sounds, or the fireplace sounds with some Christmas music. I never play the Christmas music on this DVD, though. I like the fireplace sounds while I play my own Christmas DVD's on the stereo.

Aside from the mess and the cost, and obviously the heat, these videos don’t give the wood smell. So if you’re allergic to several different kinds of wood smoke, this is a perfect solution for you. If you really need that smell, then you can find wood incense or candles that provide the wood smoke scent.

I’ve selected fireplace videos from Amazon that have the most good reviews. I’m sure they’re even better than the one I have. You can also look in the local stores for a fireplace DVD.

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