15 Christmas Candles to Make Your Home Smell Like the Holidays
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When snow is falling outside and the best Christmas albums are playing inside, there is no better way to complete the festive atmosphere than with the aromas of a Christmas candle. The experience of seeing, hearing and smelling Christmas at the same time is truly hard to beat. And while we can’t really help with the weather, we can help ensure your olfactory experience is always on point with this list of the best Christmas candles.
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The best Christmas candles are ideal for setting the mood during the festive season and for going above and beyond the average Christmas decor (such as the best Christmas pillows). Furthermore, holiday-scented candles make for some of the best Christmas gift ideas you will find. These versatile, crowd-pleasing gifts also fall into the best stocking stuffers and best hostess gift ideas categories, too. In short, only Grinches don’t want to find a Christmas candle under the tree at Christmas.
What Is the Best Candle Scent for Christmas
Christmas candles are a quick and simple way to add some festive ambiance to your home. And no matter what holiday scent you find most appealing, there’s likely a Christmas candle to fulfill your desires. Alternatively, if you don’t know your favorite scent yet, here are some of the most popular (and a few less well known) Christmas candle choices:
Fir, Pine and Cedar
Spices (like cinnamon and clove)
Cookies and Sweets
Vanilla
Fruit (like orange and apple)
Nuts (like chestnut and pecan)
Candy Canes
Firewood and Ash
Chocolate
Gingerbread
Below you’ll find a list of the best candles for Christmas featuring a wide range of different holiday smells. Get yours to ensure your home is filled with holiday aromas this December.
BEST OVERALL
1. Yankee Candle Balsam & Cedar Scented Candle
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This article is all about the best Christmas candles. Did you really think that we’d place anything other than Yankee Candle in the number one spot? Come on, people. Yankee Candle creates the Christmas candle of all Christmas candles with their Balsam & Cedar Scented Candle. This Christmas tree copycat successfully mimics that appealing whiff you get when you roll down your windows as you pass the Christmas tree farm, minus the cold breeze. It’s a candle that every Christmas lover out there should have at home during the holiday season.
RUNNER UP
2. NEST Fragrances Votive Holiday Candle
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The popular NEST fragrance company has outdone itself with this candle made from a mix of fantastic flavors. Pomegranate, mandarin orange, pine, cloves and cinnamon are all combined to deliver a wonderful holiday aroma. Furthermore, the 20-hour candle comes in a custom-designed glass. This glass has also been lightly touched with gold to make it ideal for festive tabletop decoration. One of our editors owns this candle and loves its house-filling pine scent.
MOST GIFTABLE
3. Sweet Water Decor Christmas Candle
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There is something about a candle in a brown glass jar that feels so… right. It feels so warm and serene, instantly making for one of the most giftable candles through its aesthetic alone. But, the most important part is: does it smell good? When it comes to this effortlessly gorgeous soy candle from Sweet Water Decor, the answer is yes. It has a super-clean burn with a scent that feels so festive it will have your giftee singing Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You the second they start burning.
BEST JAR
4. Bijou Billie Vanilla & Embers Jar Candle
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The Bijou Billie Vanilla & Embers Jar Candle looks great, smells great and comes in a screw-top jar, making it easier to open and close when you want. The candle is made in New York from 100% soy wax which is both non-toxic and vegan-friendly. It also boasts a 50-hour burn time and gives off a multi-level scent, starting with a woodsy base and adding several vibes, such as firewood and roasted marshmallows, along the way. Plus, other scent are available, including chestnut & sage and ginger & clove.
BEST FOR ALL SEASONS
5. Thymes Frasier Fir Poured Candle
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With the Thymes Frasier Fir Candle, you’ll enjoy a freshly cut Siberian forest fragrance mixed with heartening cedarwood and sandalwood. This candle comes in a clear glass container which has been lightly decorated with pine stems and leaves. Plus, the poured candle will help your house smell fresh for up to 50 hours.
BEST HANDMADE
6. Lorenzen Candle Co Christmas Tree Soy Candle
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The Lorenzen Candle Co Christmas Tree Soy Candle is made from soy wax which has been hand-mixed and hand-poured. The soy mix includes a range of Christmassy ingredients, including fir needles, eucalyptus and cedar leaf essential oils, which give the candle its noticeable Christmas tree smell. In addition, the candle comes presented in a glass jar which can be reused after you’ve finished burning the candle. This is a great choice for a birthday or a Christmas gift.
STRONGEST SCENT
7. Yankee Candle Christmas Cookie Large Jar Candle
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This Yankee Candle Large Jar Candle has a wonderfully sweet Christmas cookie scent that’s sure to bring back all the festive feels. Great as a gift for friends and family, this is one of Yankee Candle’s most popular holiday scents, although you can also find the likes of balsam and cedar, red apple wreath, sparkling cinnamon and magical frosted forest in the company’s holiday collection. Plus, the scent of this large jar will fill a larger area than expected, so lighting one candle can make a big difference to your entire home.
BEST MINIS
8. Santa's Naturals Fraser Fir Christmas Candle Trio Pack
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Not everyone wants a massive candle taking over their home interior, which is where Santa’s Naturals Fraser Fir Christmas Candle Trio Pack comes to the rescue. These three teeny, tiny candles will bring all of that Christmas cheer whilst taking up almost no space in your countertop. They have that fresh-cut tree scent that makes our knees tremble around this time of year. Place one in the bathroom, one in your room and one in the kitchen for a little extra added ambiance throughout the home.
TRENDIEST
9. Diptyque Limited Edition Neige Candle
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There’s a reason Diptyque is one of the trendiest candle brands on the market. In fact, it’s more than just a single reason. For example, the brand combines beautiful scents with even more beautiful presentations. This Diptyque Limited Edition Neige Candle is presented in a gorgeous glass, and the aromas produced are more complex than your average candle. When burning, you’ll find a combination of appealing aromas, including the soft harmony of heliotrope and white musks. This candle is only limited edition, so you better get your hands on it while you still can.
BEST FOR DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS
10. Birthdate Candles The December Candle
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Having a birthday in December is kind of the pits. You often get gifts that count for both Christmas and your birthday, and who really wants that? If you know someone who has a December birthday, make their day feel extra special this year by giving them a Birthdate Candles The December Candle. Each candle is designed for a specific date and provides date-specific astrology information on the label. The scents differ by zodiac sign, so depending on if your recipient was born at the beginning or end of the month, he or she could receive either a sage and frankincense- or a rose and neroli-scented candle.
BEST FOR TRAVELERS
11. Rare Lumiere Aspen Candle
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For those who experience wanderlust more than any other emotion, maybe this holiday season they’re wishing they are somewhere else. Sure, family time is great and all, but mom and dad’s house in New Jersey can get a little redundant. If you know someone with the travel bug, gift them the Rare Lumiere Aspen Candle this year so they can experience the serenity of the Colorado ski town from the comfort of their own home.
BEST OG
12. Bath & Body Works 'Tis the Season Candle
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Remember the good ‘ole days when you’d do the majority of your shopping in the hellish no-go zone we used to call the mall? You’d spend hours waiting for a parking spot just to spend even more hours online at Nordstrom to buy that one charm for that gaudy-ass charm bracelet your niece had to have. Then, you’d get in a fight with the salesman who commented on your greying hair at one of those random mall kiosks and have a panic attack inside the Hot Topic. What made the entire trip worth it, though? Passing by the Bath & Body Works to give every holiday candle a good sniff. One of their newest, most popular scents is this one below. This three-wicker combines red apple, sweet cinnamon and cedarwood to create one of the most delicious smelling candles ever.
BEST FOR DISNEY FANS
13. Disney The Nightmare Before Christmas Deadly Nightshade Scented Candle
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Fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas and everything Disney are going to love this Deadly Nightshade Scented Candle. Taking inspiration from the popular movie, this candle allows you to enjoy a base of spiced woods and vanilla boosted by numerous extra ingredients, like dark blood mandarin, night blooming jasmine and black rose. The 25 to 30-hour candle is also presented in a ceramic jar which has been modeled on Sally’s herb jars from the Christmas/Halloween classic.
BEST HOLDER
14. Lihome Christmas Candle
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With its Christmas greeting and Christmas tree-adorned jar, this Lihome Christmas Candle is an ideal choice if you’re looking for a gift-ready option to give to friends or colleagues. Inside the handmade ceramic jar, which also comes with a bamboo lid, you’ll find an 11.5-ounce, natural soy wax candle. The candle has a burn time of at least 60 hours. Plus, if Christmas vanilla coconut isn’t your jam, you can choose from a range of other scents, including apple cinnamon, spicy pumpkin and lavender.
BEST SET
15. Opal Road Winter Collection Gift Set
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This Opal Road Winter Collection Gift Set is a three-candle set which is made to be enjoyed during the festive season. With scents including Hope, Wonder, and Grace, you know every time you light one of these candles, you’re in for a wintery treat. Each 2.5-ounce candle in the set has been hand poured from coconut apricot wax. Furthermore, the set is supplied in a gift-ready gold and white box which has a magnetic closure.
BEST FOR ATMOSPHERE
ALSO CONSIDER: GenSwin Flameless White Taper Candles
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Not all Christmas candles are about creating appealing aromas in your home. Some, like these GenSwin Flameless White Taper Candles, are made to add to the aesthetic instead. Christmas window candles are an ideal addition to your decorations to give that extra touch of festive feels for anyone inside or passing by. These GenSwin candles are particularly popular thanks to their realistic look, ability to fit into a range of candle holders and the fact you can control them remotely. Furthermore, the six-pack is available in eight different colors, ensuring there’s a style to match every kind of home decor.
How to Wrap a Candle for Christmas
If you have decided that candles, Christmas themed or not, are the gift of choice, you’re going to need to know how to wrap a present, unless you intend to hand it over unwrapped or in a gift bag. For some however, wrapping a Christmas candle can be a daunting task. But with the right approach, knowing how to wrap a candle for Christmas can be surprisingly simple.
It doesn’t matter whether you want to know how to wrap a Yankee Candle or any other type of Christmas candle, this quick step-by-step guide can be applied to any square, rectangular or circular-shaped candles. Once you have your chosen wrapping paper, tape and scissors in hand, follow these simple steps:
Cut Your Paper to the Right Size – Ensure you cut the paper to the correct size by laying it out flat and rolling or rotating your candle through one complete turn to gauge the correct width. Then add enough paper to cover the top and bottom and a little extra on each edge before cutting.
Neatly Fold the Paper Edges – For a more professional-looking finish, fold over any cut edges to create cleaner lines.
Encircle the Candle With Paper – Lay your candle at one end of the paper. Completely encircle it while keeping tight to the paper. Neatly seal the join with tape.
Close and Secure the Bottom – First, ensure the candle is positioned in the middle of the resulting paper tube so you have sufficient overhang to cover the base completely. Then, for square/rectangles, progressively fold the paper over each bottom edge to create a clean, symmetrical cover. Secure it with tape. For circle bases, start at the paper’s inside edge and fold it over in progressive steps, creating a flat, fully covered base in the process. Secure it with tape.
Close the Top – Choose from the two available options:
Option 1 – Repeat Step 4 to produce a complete and symmetrically covered gift.
Option 2 – Twist the remaining paper until it covers the open end and produces a bottleneck-type seal. Use ribbon, string or twine to seal it in place while covering the twisted paper.Attach Ribbons/Gift Tags – Complete the decorative look with any coordinated ribbons, bows and gift tags you want to add.
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