Everything you need to know about Christmas Candles. The Christmas season is an incredibly sensual time, highlighted in large part by scents that remind many of us of our childhoods.
Christmas candles that package and enhance these festive smells in the home now offer a fantastic way to enjoy these once solely Christmas-based home comforts across the entirety of the Christmas, or even winter, season.
As the cold weather already starts to make itself known this year, we’re going to help you get a head start with this sensory festive feast by considering the best Christmas scented candle ideas for 2021.
What are Christmas scented candles?
Traditionally used for either decorative or advent purposes, Christmas scented candles are candles made of soy, beeswax, or paraffin, which are infused with a variety of scents that evoke the festive season.
What scents are best for Christmas?
Scents including mince pies and mulled wine are universally associated with Christmas, and can make everyone feel festive. As such, a few favourite Christmas scents have very much cemented their place in the Christmas candle hall of fame, such as –
- Cinnamon: A warm, spiced scent that evokes mince pies, Christmas pudding, and mulled wine
- Spiced orange: A fruity, festive combination of cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and a refreshing pop of citrus
- Apple & Cinnamon: A rich sweet apple scent, lifted by cinnamon, spiced notes
- Cranberry & Ginger: A sweet, buttery scent of fresh ginger and baked treats
- Hot chocolate: A rich chocolate scent with notes of vanilla cream and cinnamon sprinkles
- Roast chestnuts: A rich and sweet nutty scent with a smoky undertone
- Open fire: A smoky scent enriched with woody warmth
- Christmas trees: A smoothing smell of fresh, sweet pine
- Snow: A crisp, clean scent with hints of woodland and an undeniably refreshing element
- Frankincense and myrrh: A vanilla musk merging with a woody, spiced note
The best Christmas scent likely depends on your unique festive experiences, but popular favourites certainly include universal scents such as Christmas tree, snow, and cinnamon.
What is the meaning of a Christmas candle?
Originally burnt in the windows of Christians to represent the Star of Bethlehem, candles are now regular features in Christmas decorations across the world. Christmas candles are thought to represent a happy, occupied home that continues to guide travellers through the dark nights.
Is a candle a good gift at Christmas?
Long-lasting, large Christmas candles make fantastic gifts at Christmas because they offer as much as forty hours or more of relaxation across the post-festive period. Candles packaged in attractive, decorative ramekins or glass jars are especially fantastic for giving as Christmas candle gift. The user can reuse them either to make their own candles next year or just as a staple part of their Christmas decorations in their own rights.
How can you make Christmas scented candles last longer?
Longevity is a large part of the joy that Xmas wax candles offer, enabling us to begin festivities as early as October/November, and keeping warming Christmas scents in our homes well into the new year. To further these benefits, it’s always beneficial to invest in large, high-quality soy wax or beeswax candles in sturdy containers. Proper care can also drastically enhance the lifespans of your candles, and should include –- Regularly trimming your wicks
- Burning for only long periods
- Positioning in draft-free locations
- Straightening the wick between burn time
- Leaving cool-off time before relighting
Implement these pointers each time that you use your candle, and you should find that even Christmas tea light candles can burn for anywhere between 3-5 hours.
How do you decorate your home with a Christmas candle?
Picture Credit: CC0 Licence Christmas candles are as much about decoration as they are about scent, and buying with this in mind ensures that you’re able to add a festive finish to any room. To make sure that your Christmas candles are especially suited to your decor needs, it’s worth looking out for attractive candles in containers such as vases, lanterns, and decorative jars. Other ways to enhance the decorative benefits that even these attractive Christmas candles offer include –- Arranging different-sized candles together
- Arranging candles inside decorative boxes/bowls
- Tying small sprigs of pine around a candle’s base
- Safely positioning Christmas tea lights in jars filled with dried pine cones, cranberries, etc.
- Adding candles to your hallway entrance
Why is burning a Christmas scented candle so relaxing?
Candles are known for their calming properties, and Christmas candles can especially enhance these relaxation benefits by providing a range of familiar, comforting, and warm scents. The focus on Christmas-based baking in many scents used at this time of year, including cinnamon, gingerbread, and Christmas cake, can also work to send us into a more calming and creative mental space at a traditionally stressful time.
How to make Christmas candles
It is possible to make your own Christmas scented candles using festive scents that can be bought or created through the use of a range of essential oils such as frankincense, nutmeg, orange, and cinnamon. To make your candles, you can either stock up on a Christmas candle making kit that includes everything that you need to get this just right. Or you could invest in individual ingredients including soy or beeswax, ready-cut wicks, suitable containers, and safety equipment such as gloves.
