22 Best Christmas Candles to Make Your Home Feel (and Smell) Festive
Updated: Dec. 03, 2021Whether you want your home to smell like a Christmas tree, freshly baked gingerbread, or a crackling fire, the best Christmas candles will turn your home into a festive holiday oasis.
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The Nutcracker
Play the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” before lighting this candle. Inspired by the beloved holiday tale, Homesick’s The Nutcracker includes notes of cinnamon, clove, pecan, sandalwood, wintermint, ginger, vanilla and musk. Capture more delightful flavors with our Sugarplum Spice Bread.
Gingerbread + Vanilla
Add some Christmas cheer to sleek spaces with the Spark collection from Paddywax. Modeled after traditional prayer candles, these beauties come in six tantalizing scents and feature seasonal sayings like “Ho, Ho, Ho,” “Believe” and “Let it Snow.” We’re particularly smitten with the gingerbread and vanilla version. Speaking of, these are our best gingerbread recipes.
Holiday Gnome
We love candles that double as decor. And this mercury glass gnome from Pottery Barn will be a holiday staple even after the wick has burned out. For now, though, enjoy notes of Siberian fir, juniper berry and green apple.
Beautiful Balsam
Trust us when we say that this balsam candle from Agraria doesn’t need to be wrapped. Its packaging is already gift-ready! In addition to the stunning box, the candle itself is placed in textured glass that casts a sparkly glow every time the candle’s lit. Still searching for the perfect gift? Check out these gift ideas under $50.
Smoked Birchwood
If you dream of escaping to a cabin in the woods for Christmas, give this wooden wick candle from DW Home a try. Not only does it crackle like a fireplace, but this candle offers smoky scents of amber, birch and vanilla musk. Learn how to make fancy candles last longer.
Crushed Candy Cane
Voluspa’s pretty table candle looks as good as it smells. Featuring bright, peppermint-inspired stripes, this hand-poured beauty burns with notes of peppermint (obviously), sugar cookie and vanilla bean. If you’re craving the real deal, try these candy cane recipes.
Grandpa’s Cardigan
Christmas is all about spending time with the ones you love. And this simple blend from Anecdote Candle will remind you of a hug from grandpa. Enjoy notes of smoky birch, black pepper and cardamom while you walk down memory lane.
Balsam + Cedar
You can make your home smell like a Christmas tree (even if yours is artificial) with this clean-burning soy candle. It comes in a pretty tin with an evergreen-inspired design and delivers notes of balsam, oak moss, cedar and cinnamon for a woodsy smell.
Want to reuse this tin? Here’s how to remove candle wax from the jar.
Log Fire
No fireplace? No problem. This luxurious candle from Jo Loves delivers a warm, smoky scent that will make you think there’s a crackling fire in the next room. The hand-poured candle has notes of firewood, cedar and black leather—the only other thing you need is some roasting chestnuts!
Winter Berry
This fruity candle would be the perfect choice for your kitchen during the holiday season. Notes of pomegranate, cassis and sweet orange give it a fresh smell, while clove and cedar add depth and warmth to its scent. Plus, if you’re giving it as a gift, you can even have it monogrammed for a small fee. It would be great paired with one of our favorite candle accessories!
Bourbon + Vanilla
We love a bourbon-spiked recipe during the holidays, and this bourbon and vanilla candle will make your living space smell delicious. It’s hand-poured from soy wax, and it comes in several sizes for up to 100 hours of burn time. If you love candles that smell good enough to eat, check out the best food-scented candles, too.
Winter Mantel
You can spruce up your holiday decor—pun intended—with this woodsy winter candle. It has top notes of Fraser fir, holly berry and mistletoe, with sweet sugar, spruce and cedar at the base. It’s the perfect finishing touch to your holiday mantel, and its 60+ hour burn time will last all season long. Candles make great gifts for coworkers too.
Simply Christmas
You can get all the quintessential Christmas smells wrapped up in this one adorable candle. It comes in a pretty amber jar, and as it burns, you’ll get notes of apple cider, cinnamon, Christmas trees, cookies and more. So what are you waiting for? Grab your electric candle lighter and get burning!
Frosted Cranberry
If you’re a sucker for a good cranberry recipe during the holidays—we certainly are!—you’ve got to get this three-wick candle. It has a fruity scent with notes of iced cranberries, blonde woods, red apples and tonka beans that will fill any room, and its triple wicks ensure an even burn.
Bottle Brush Tree
These tree-topped candles are as much home decor as they are an aromatherapy escape. Each candle is topped with a bottle brush-style Christmas tree on the lid, and you can choose from several sizes and scents, including woodsy cedar and spruce, fresh evergreen and citrus, or spicy apple and cinnamon.
Baltic Amber
You’re going to want to keep this stunning embossed glass jar long after the sweet candle inside burns away. The candle gives off notes of amber, sandalwood, cedar and vanilla orchid, and the textured container creates a beautiful glimmer as a flame burns inside. This is how to get candle wax out of a jar.
New York City Holiday
If you hail from the Big Apple (or have a soft spot for it in your heart), this soy candle pays homage to the city that never sleeps. It comes in a reusable rocks glass with a printed city skyline on the side, and the candle is a festive blend of pine, deep cedar, bold fir and holly berry.
Christmas Tree
Not only does this handmade candle smell like a holiday tree, it’s shaped like one too. The candle resembles an intricate snow-covered Christmas tree, and if you can bear to burn it, you’ll be rewarded with scents of eucalyptus, mint, cypress, pine and smoke. It would be an amazing addition to your Christmas table decorations!
Holiday Classic
All your favorite seasonal scents are wrapped up into one in this classic holiday candle. It features a blend of pomegranate, mandarin orange, pine, cloves and cinnamon with just a hint of vanilla and amber, and the candle is housed in a gold-accented glass vessel to complement your holiday decor.
Magical Frosted Forest
Yankee Candle offers some of the most iconic holiday candles, including this forest-scented one. The fan-favorite has notes of icy eucalyptus, pine needles and white cedar that will transport you into an enchanted world. Be sure to check out the Yankee Candle Scent of the Year, too!
Silk Pajamas
Slip into your most luxurious sleepwear, then light this cool candle on Christmas Eve. Designed with opulence in mind, it has scents of crystal ginger, bergamot zest and spiced yuzu that will make you feel like you’re at an extravagant slumber party.
DIY Woody Balsam
Do you have an empty candle jar tucked away in your cupboard? If so, you can give it new life this holiday season with a DIY candle kit. This particular kit offer scents of eucalyptus, balsam and wild berries, and all you have to do is melt and pour the wax into a vessel of your choosing.
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