Long before I began making candles of my own, I was famous among friends and family for giving away candles as gifts. It became something of a running joke, but I honestly felt - and still do - that candles make the most wonderful gifts because of their simple elegance, usefulness, and uniqueness.

Today, I am glad to see, more and more people share my views. Through my candle connoisseur friend Charlene, I have got to know a wide cross section of people who have a love of candles in common. One of them is Josip Kukolj, who immigrated to the US from Belgrade about 20 years ago and brought his candle-making enterprise with him. Back then, says Josip, candles were strictly something you saw in posh restaurants and homes where the power supply was not always uninterrupted. "In the last five years," Josip told me, "my business has grown by almost 60%, and the overwhelming majority of orders are for gift candles."

From a one-room unit in Lincoln, Nebraska, Josip's business now occupies the entire ground floor of a building downtown, and he is considering a separate unit to meet his online orders. So it is hardly a surprise that web sites selling gift candles have mushroomed rapidly in the recent past. In fact, had I not been too scatterbrained to run a business, I would have considered putting my stuff on sale!

Obviously, aromatherapy candles have overtaken traditional candles in the popularity stakes owing to their fragrance and beauty. Besides, rather than traditional candles, people are increasingly opting for gel and soy candles, which not only look better than wax candles, but also last longer and offer more scope for experiment. They are also non-polluting and produce no soot, which makes them cleaner options as well.

One of Josip's best-selling items is a pineapple scented set of six soy candles, embedded with seashells that enhance their beauty. Among my friends, I have observed a marked preference for my lemon scented, green-tinted gel candles. Plenty of suppliers also offer such innovative items as floating candles, which make for great outdoor decorations. Then there are the spa candles, which are ideal for lighting next to your bath!

Most suppliers include stylish holders and jars along with the candles. That means in addition to beauty, you get great value for money as well! So the next time you buy a gift, why not try candles? Wouldn't it be much better than a book your friend may never read, or a perfume s/he may never use?