The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.There really is nothing like a warm, crackling fire on a cold winter day.Fireplaces are an integral part of many homes. They serve as a focal point during casual family evenings and as a part of the festive tableau during a holiday gathering. Fires bring warmth and beauty and inspire a visceral sense of tranquility and comfort.They can also be sort of messy, though, and sometimes hard to manage, too. Wet wood and piles of ash and whatnot come with the territory. If you buy holiday gifts for someone who loves having fires in his or her home, gifts that help make fires easier to light, simpler to manage, and quicker to clean up will all be warmly received. (Yes, I'll be hitting the puns hard here, FYI.)There are also a number of fine hearth-themed gifts that go beyond the simple lighting and maintaining of a fire. Fireplaces can be aesthetically pleasing at all times, even when no yule log is ablaze atop the andirons. Along with the handy fire starters and ash-cleaning solutions, therefore, we've also included a few handsome fireplace accessory gifts that might just be a hit even well after the cold weather abates in the spring.Having trouble finding a gift for everyone on your list' Check out all our 2017 holiday gift guides on Insider Picks.SEE ALSO:15 wintertime accessories the hiker, skier, and camper on your list will loveColor cones that create vibrant green and blue hues when added to a fireIs it magic or science that lets thesePlow & Hearth Fireplace Color Cones create vibrant green and blue hues among the licking flames of the fire' Answer' Science. In this case, it's an application of safe, stable copper chloride over the two pounds of pine cones that come in a sack of Color Cones. When added to a fire, they burn for5 to 10 minutes each, adding unique, appealing colors to the flames.These cones can be usedin any wood-burning fire, from an indoor fireplace to an outdoor fire pit to a wood stove. And not only do they look great when ablaze, but the pine cones and burlap storage sack can also be pleasingly arranged beside the fireplace.Buy the 2 lb bag of Plow & Hearth Fireplace Color Cones on Amazon for $24A powerful lighter with an adjustable neck for easy lightingI own and often use aZippo Flex Neck Utility Lighter, so I can tell you with personal conviction that this thing helps light a grill, a fire, a fire pit, and anything else you want set ablaze without the need for your hands to be too close to the heat. It creates a wind-resistant flame that's hot enough to quickly catch any decent kindling, and the flame can be adjusted up or down as needed.Just note that if you or your giftee should use the lighter frequently, which oneshould, of course, it will go through fuel quickly and will require frequent refilling. Which is no big deal, because the process is easy and butane is cheap. But do consider including a can of it with the gift of the lighter.Buy aZippo Flex Neck Utility Lighter on Amazon for $15.50Cedar fire startersOne order of theMidwest Hearth Cedar Fire Starters can be used to help kindle as many as 32 fires, as each of the quick lighting, slow-burning pucks can be snapped into four separate pieces. The fire starters are made made in America using onlycedar sawdust and wax, so they burn cleanly, hotly, and with a faint, pleasant pine aroma.TheMidwest Hearth Cedar Fire Starters leave behind no residue and give off no unsafe compounds, so they are completely safe for regular use in an indoor fireplace and even in a wood-burning stove used for cooking.Buy theMidwest Hearth Cedar Fire Starters on Amazon for $13See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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