Ask ten people for the best smelling christmas candle and you will get ten answers. One swears by pine, another by cinnamon, a third by anything with vanilla. That is not a problem, it is the whole point. Smell is personal, and the candle that will make your holiday season feel right matches your memories.
In this guide
What we can do is give you a method to make your holiday season smell right. Instead of chasing a single winner, you can learn how to read scents, test candles properly and get more out of the one you buy.
Start with Christmas memories to make your holiday season smell right
Close your eyes and think of a happy December moment. Is it a real tree in the corner? A kitchen full of baking? Frosty air as you walk to a market? Your answer points to a scent family.
- Tree and forest: evergreen, fir, cedar
- Baking and sweets: vanilla, ginger, caramel
- Markets and mulled drinks: orange, clove, cinnamon
- Fireside evenings: smoke, amber, wood
- Fresh snow: crisp, clean, slightly cool notes
The candle that can make your holiday season feel right will sit in the family closest to that memory. If you are not sure, a blend of orange, spice and a little wood suits most people.
How to test a candle properly
Smelling candles in a shop is trickier than it looks. After a few, your nose gets tired and everything starts to blend. Follow a few steps to get a real impression.
First, smell the unlit candle from the top, not too close. Then, take a short break and breathe fresh air. Narrow your choices to two or three and compare them. The sense of smell, known as olfaction, tires quickly, so pausing makes a real difference.
Remember that a cold candle smells different from a lit one. The scent you notice in the jar, called the cold throw, is not always the one that fills the room once it burns, the hot throw. A candle with a modest jar scent can be wonderful lit, and a very strong jar scent can fade quickly. When you can, ask whether a shop has a lit tester.
There are also practical reasons to take your time. A candle is a small spend, but over a season it adds up, and a poor choice sits on the shelf looking guilty. Spending ten minutes with your nose now saves a good deal of regret later, and it is much more fun than buying blind.
It also helps to bring a friend or partner, since a second opinion on what will make your holiday season smell lovely often settles a tie. Two people rarely agree completely, but you will quickly learn which scents are safe crowd-pleasers and which are personal favourites.
Getting a stronger scent from any candle
If your candle smells weaker than you hoped, there are a few easy fixes before you give up on the candle you bought to make your holiday season smell better.
- Let the first burn run long enough to melt the whole surface
- Trim the wick to about a quarter of an inch
- Close doors so the scent stays in one room
- Avoid draughts, fans and open windows while burning
- Choose a room that suits the candle size
Room size matters a lot. A small candle in a big living room will never be enough. If the room is large, use a bigger candle or two small ones on opposite sides. If it is small, a modest jar is all you need.
Another trick to make your holiday season welcoming is to light the candle about half an hour before guests arrive. The scent builds slowly, and the room will smell lovely at the door. Put it out when you sit down to eat, so it does not fight with dinner.
Wax type changes how a scent feels, too. Some people find soy gentle and creamy, while paraffin often feels more direct. Beeswax has a faint honeyed note of its own that can blend with the fragrance. None is better, but if a favourite candle that should make your holiday season smell festive feels too heavy or too weak, try a different wax next time before dismissing the scent.
Why scents seem to fade
Nose fatigue is real. After you have been in a scented room for a while, you stop noticing it. That does not mean it has gone, just that your nose has adjusted. Step out for a few minutes and come back, and you will smell it again.
If you burn the same candle every single night to make your holiday season smell good, you may also find it loses its charm. Rotating two or three scents through the month keeps each one fresh. Think of it like music, where a playlist is nicer than the same song on repeat.
Think about the time of day, too. A bright, citrusy candle can feel perfect at lunchtime and strange at ten at night. In the evening, we usually reach for warmer woods and spice, and for brighter, greener blends during the day.
Pick your winner
When you have narrowed it down, trust your reaction. The best candle is not the one with the most five-star reviews or the fanciest packaging. It is the one that makes you pause, smile and want to sit down.
Buy a small size first to make your holiday season easier. If you love it after two burns, get the large one. This simple step prevents the heartbreak of a big jar you cannot stand.
Safety comes first, whatever you choose to make your holiday season cosy. Keep flames away from decorations, never leave them unattended, and use a snuffer. With a little care, you will make your holiday season feel like Christmas until the very last day.
More on this site: Linnea's Light Blog Contest Winner – Ryan Patrick Kelley and Lemon Scent in the Car: Bright, Clean and Easy to Overdo.
Header photo: Petar Milošević, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
