Low tech boyfriend control

You can twist the candle up or down,
depending upon how long you want the suitor to stay.

When they showed us the antique courting candleholder, Stan thought, hey, we've got one of those weird things at our house. In the basement somewhere. We'd never heard of a courting candle before. Have you? Here's one explanation that comes from the Munck's Quiver blog.

In the 1600's to the 1800's, courting candles were used by the man of the home to set boundaries for his daughter. When the daughter's suitor came calling, the father lit the candle in a sitting room where the couple conversed. When the candle burnt to the metal at the top of the candle holder, it was time for the suitor to leave. However, the father could change the height of the candle based on how comfortable he felt about the suitor. Also, the father could immediately snuff out the candle or add a second candle depending on what he deemed necessary. The courting candle served as a quiet, yet firm reminder to the suitor to end his date.

When we got home we had a look at the candle holder in question. 

Kathleen was right. Turns out we never had a real courting candle holder. For that matter, we've never had much control over the time that our daughters spent "courting" either.

While it is unlikely that a candle holder would have helped us with that. . . it sure would have been fun to try.