I think candles are pretty and I like seeing them on DS. But I won't have any around my house because I'm scared of fire. I don't know how people stood it in the old days, other than that they must've just gotten used to them and learned how to be careful.
Not as careful as all that. There were accidents. John Brown (of Harper's Ferry fame) had a daughter who was burnt to death in a domestic accident involving fire, and I'm sure I've read about others, though I can't remember any specific ones.
I've never had a problem with my cat knocking over a candle, but she's a cautious cat.