There’s just something mesmerizing, relaxing, captivating, and primitive about a campfire, isn’t there? The wonderful smoky birchwood smells of burning wood and dancing flames that hypnotize one into a state of comfort, satisfaction, and bonding. That primordial part of us that harkens back to cave-dwelling clans where a fire made them safe from predators and encouraged community and bonding amongst the brood. No doubt hand gestures and some kind of verbiage were given around these campfire tales of bravery and heroic clan members fighting off sabretooth’s and outside strangers. And as the fables would end, all eyes would turn to the campfire flames in silence as the story absorbed into the youngest clan members primitive and inquisitive minds.
Nowadays its ‘big fish’ stories and ‘who shot John?’ that are told amongst the flames (with a cooler of beer and a bag of chips close by, of course). Get a gathering of friendly folk around a campfire and secrets are revealed. Neighbors are gossiped about. Work bosses don’t know how to run their department. Fishing trips are planned. Gardening tips are shared. Beer cans and wine coolers are toasted to the departed. Campfires do this, you know. You see the faces light up when you say: “Nice evening for a campfire, don’t you think?”. Excitement. A crisp autumn Friday evening of fallen acorns, orange leaves, hoodies, and a smoky campfire will raise the darkness of the most down-hearted. News spreads fast. Text alerts come in asking if this is a real thing. Smiling emoji’s. Somehow, the neighbors got wind of it. Frank and Sue pretend to get something from the garage and ask why you’re cleaning out the firepit (they know darn well). You secretly smile. Their faces light up when you invite them to come on over in 30 minutes. They already know the rules of BYOB and a lawn chair. Excited chatter ensues.
The power of the mighty campfire.
How to build a campfire 101.
First, clean out the firepit of old ashes and empty beer cans.
If you don’t have a firepit, then make a circular clearing in the ground of about three feet in diameter and mark it out with stones. I personally have used an old BBQ grill dome and dug that into the ground. Works perfectly.
Next, teepee small sticks, twigs, and pieces of wood with newspaper stuffed between them. Add a little BBQ lighter fluid, and light it up.
If the fire doesn’t catch/take off, just repeat the above until it does. You’ll get it going eventually.
As the fire grows/intensifies, add larger, thicker sticks to the flames.
Now the fire has a life of its own, it’s time to feed it.
Add two or three logs, sit back, and relax. Depending on the firewood you’re using, usually, 2-3 logs will take an hour to burn.
Any junk mail, bills, useless documents you want to get rid of, now’s the time to gather them up and throw them in the fire. Just know, once you do, they’re never coming back. That $50 check you received out of the blue stuffed in an envelope with your junk mail, has now gone up in smoke (pun intended!!). Your paper shredder basket overflowing? Feed it to the fire. Photographs of your ex laying around? Throw them in to signify the burning of the old relationship and welcome in new ones (can actually be quite therapeutic).
Food and drink around the campfire.
Okay, let’s cut to the best part of having a campfire: The booze and the food!!
A case of beer of your choice and a can koozie is all you need. Check out www.discountmugs.com to create your own fun can koozies. There, that’s the booze all dealt with!! Just kidding. But it’s always nice to have your favorite beverage close by. I’ve even been known to have a few mugs of plain ole hot chocolate whilst sitting around the campfire (smoking a nice cigar too).
S’mores are a given around the campfire, right? But that’s only the beginning…Wieners, marshmallows, kebabs, chicken drumsticks, basically, anything you can poke through with a stick can be a campfire snack (although anything with cheese may not be such a good idea!!). Wrap a few potatoes in tin foil and put them on the outskirts of the fire within the embers, and within the hour you’ll have a hot baked potato to fill with your choice of toppings (now you can add the cheese!!).
Breakfast around the campfire? Sure, why not? I got this idea from a friend of mine. Put a saucepan over the flames/embers to boil. We’re going to create a make-shift omelet. In a bowl, whisk 2-3 eggs and add the fixings you’d normally have for an omelet: onions, green onions, mushrooms, fully cooked bacon/sausage/ham, diced tomatoes, diced green/red peppers, plenty of cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Be creative. Like it spicy? Add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce, hot buffalo sauce, or red pepper flakes. Next, take a quart-sized sandwich/freezer bag, write your name on it with a sharpie (if there’s more than one of you), and pour all the ingredients of the omelet into the bag. Seal it, and pop it in the boiling water for 5-7 minutes, and voila, you got yourself a tasty omelet with your name on it!!
It’s all fun and games.
A pack of cards and a game of charades will always be a winner at a campfire, but check out https://coolofthewild.com/campfire-games/ to learn some fun and entertaining campfire games that will really get the party started!!
Campfire etiquette.
If you’re invited to a campfire by a neighbor/co-worker, it’s polite to bring something along for the host (the same as if you were attending a house-warming party/dinner guest). $8 bottle of wine, a batch of home-made cookies, 6-pack of IPA, a plate of cheese & summer sausage, a dozen Jell-O shots, a family-size bag of pretzels, are all good, cheap ideas to get the party started. Also, bring your own booze and lawn/camping chair.
Don’t be that neighbor who won’t leave the campfire once the host decides to call it a night. Respect the host and retire to bed/go home also.
If having a campfire at home/in the neighborhood, be sure to put the fire out completely when everyone calls it a night/retires to bed. Even the embers need to be fully extinguished. The last thing you want is a few stray embers blowing in the wind and catching the tool shed on fire when everyone has gone to bed. If you’re out in the woods/at a campground, be vigilant of the campfire as it burns itself out.
Its fall season, so have as many fun and memorable campfires as you can!!
