I thought I would post this blog sooner rather than later - it seems a little early, we havn't even reached Christmas Day but last order guaranteed delivery before Christmas and New Year is this Wednesday the 18th of Dec. Apologies for those not ready to even think about the New Year, but please read on - this is a nice one. ~ One of the great challenges for the team at Shearer Candles is creating scents to go with occasions. It’s difficult because we’ve all got different ideas of what something should smell like. For example what scent do you associate with birthdays? Marzipan from a birthday cake perhaps, or maybe a glass (or two!) of wine indeed maybe you associate it with the smell of small candles. What scent do you associate with love? Is it light and floral or is it intoxicating and overpowering? You can see why it is difficult. We work hard to try and find scents that we feel are relevant and appropriate for lots of occasions. The sense of smell is often overlooked yet it’s one of the most important senses when it comes to unlocking memories and setting moods. It acts almost subconsciously on us exciting the neurons and setting off the little electrical stimuli inside our brains that make us human. So we’ve thought long and hard about our ‘Hogmanay’ candle. New Year remains an important celebration in Scotland but like many other places it is tied up with the ‘holiday period’ now, connected to Christmas and all that it entails. However it’s also a symbolic day for many of us. It marks the end of the old year, perhaps a welcome end, perhaps not. For many the New Year brings new hope, new dreams, the drawing of a metaphorical line under what has gone before and the excitement of what the new year will bring. For others it is just a chance to take a couple of days off, relax with friends and family before getting back to ‘normal’ again. 
To mark its Scottish significance we’ve given the tin a dark green tartan, it’s understated but recognisable. For the scent we’ve blended some festive spices we all associate with Christmas, they warm us when it’s cold outside, with the subtle aroma of White Heather a beautiful light floral smell found in highland and moorland areas. To round it off we’ve added Juniper Berry. Juniper trees were planted near gates to help ward of evil spirits in olden times and today Juniper oil is popular in aromatherapy where it is believed to contain medicinal properties. For us though, aside from its symbolism, we like its perfume. It’s strong and peppery but when combined with the White Heather and festive spices it adds a bit of life. We’re quite pleased with our Hogmanay Candle, it’s so difficult to create something that encapsulates an occasion we all own and celebrate in different ways, but we hope if you try it you’ll like it. We also hope it helps bring in a great New Year for you.
Stephanie Barnet Marketing Executive Shearer Candles
