The best way to set a mood is with lighting. And when the mood you want to set is a romantic one, the best lighting is candlelight. Candlelight is sexy, mysterious, women love it, and best of all, if she got to your place before you had a chance to clean, it'll hide a variety of imperfections. (Hence the reason strip clubs are so dark.)

Candles also come with a couple of inherent caveats: they're basically an open flame, so there's some places they shouldn't be placed. Like on tight shelves or near anything that would have a tendency to go up in flames, such as your collection of "vintage" porn magazines, or Britney Spears' career. Secondly, they drip. A lot. And, because of the Third Physical Law of Melted Wax, it tends to be on expensive, easily damaged, stuff.

Plus - and this is an important thing to consider - sometimes the romantic mood you set, along with a bottle of wine or two kicking in, may cause you to become otherwise occupied. Through the night. Forgetting there are a half-dozen candles burning. And having the fire department hack their way through your front door in the middle of the night tends to put a damper on things. (Tip: your hose should be the only one in the house that night.)

Technology has an answer: Flameless candles. They're made of real wax. They have a vanilla scent. They come in a variety of colors and sizes. And they take two C batteries.

I have a couple from Candle Impressions' line of patented flameless candles, and they look exactly like real flickering candles. Except they don't drip, they burn for hundreds of hours, and they never get hot. You wouldn't be able to tell they weren't real candles unless you looked at the "wick" and saw there was no flame. That, and the on/off switch on the bottom.

So get a few and keep the mood going. All night.

$12.99-$29.99 www.candleimpressions.net