My wonderful hubby, like most men, is fascinated by fire.

We have a wood burning fireplace in our dining room, and he’s constantly wanting to build a fire, and make a big mess.  In the year and a half since we moved in, he’s built more fires than I can count.  He’s also ruined two rugs, a table cloth, and even burnt a small hole in the carpet in front of the fireplace, from forgetting to close the screens.  Not to mention that it makes the whole house smell, not that I don’t like the smell of a wood fire, it’s more that I don’t like the residue that wonderful smell leaves on everything – namely my cream suede sofa in the dining room.

So trying to find a compromise with my dear hubby has been hard.  His idea of a compromise is to build or buy what he calls a “firebox” that will stick out two to three feet from the fireplace, and totally contain the fire, but help it to put off more heat.  Sounds ugly just thinking about it, doesn’t it, especially in my one semi-formal room (semi-formal meaning that there are no toys in that room.)

My idea of a compromise is the clean, pretty, smell-free electric fireplace insert.

Doesn’t it look like a much better, safer, cleaner, non-stinky alternative to a real fire, and you can light it anytime without having to plan ahead.  You don’t have to remember to haul in the wood, find some paper to get the fire lit, nor clean up after it.  I wouldn’t have to clean up afterward, no sweeping up the hearth, no worrying about wood splinters getting left on the floor to find later when they poke your feet, or to be pulled out of a puppy mouth when the dogs find them first.

I’m thinking that this could be the gift that would make us both happy, he can have his fires – anytime, and I’ll never complain again about the mess, smell, or lack of real heat.