Light a candle for someone and send them the link
Somebody is having a bad week and “thinking of you” in a message does not carry much. Light a candle with their name on it, send them the link, and they open something that somebody had to stop and do — and that keeps its place on a public wall afterwards.
Why this lands harder than a message
A text message costs nothing, and everyone knows it. This cost you a minute and a few dollars, it has their name on it, and it will still be there tomorrow. That is what makes it land differently — and on a hard day, that matters.
It works for the lighter reasons too — a joke between friends, good luck with something silly, a “you were right”. Those count just as much.
How do I send it?
The moment the candle is lit you get a permanent link to it. Send that however you normally talk to them. The same link is printed on the receipt that arrives by email, so it is not lost if you close the page.
The link opens their candle on its own page. From there they can see it standing on the wall among everyone else’s.
Does it expire?
No. There is no subscription and nothing to renew. It stays on the wall until the millionth candle is lit and the wall is sealed, and the finished wall is then meant to go into the Internet Archive.
- Light a candle in memory of someone — and it stays — For someone you have lost — their name on the wall, in a place that stays.
- Light a candle for someone’s recovery — For someone who is ill — yours or theirs, with a link you can send them.
- Light a candle for a wish or a dream — An exam, a new job, a move — a wish put somewhere it will not sit in a drawer.
- Light a candle for a birthday — one that stays — Not a cake you blow out — a candle with their name that is still there next year.
- Light a candle to say thank you — For the teacher, the nurse, the friend who showed up — and never heard it.
- What One Million Candles is, and why it exists