There’s something about lighting a Christmas candle that gets the endorphins flowing and makes everything better. Scent is the strongest sense tied to memory, and so when we light a holiday-scented candle it immediately brings back nostalgic moments from childhood like snow days, baking gingerbread cookies, or drinking hot chocolate in flannel pajamas.
Look, candle lovers get an unfair reputation for being “basic.” But name a better feeling in the world than taking off your bra after a long day, slipping into your coziest sweatpants and lighting a brand new three-wick candle. We’ll wait. See? You can’t name one because there is no better feeling. It’s simply the best, and there’s nothing basic about it.
Candles plus Christmas is such a winning combo, because people go bananas over both. So we’ve pulled together the best holiday-themed candles, and that includes everything from classic Christmas candles to more non-traditional options. And we’ve got candles that cover the entire holiday scent spectrum: peppermint, pine, sugar plum and everything in between.
Below, our picks for the best candles that are basically Christmas in a jar.
Paddywax Spark Collection in Cranberry Rosé
“Deck the halls with boughs of holly…” well, you know the rest. This “Fa La La La La” candle is cranberry and rosé wine-scented, and it’ll make you feel so festive you’ll wish you were out caroling.
NEST Holiday Candle
If you like your holiday candles classic and chic, it doesn’t get more classic than NEST’s “holiday” scented candle. Notes of pomegranate, pine and cinnamon with a hint of vanilla will make you feel like you’re at a fancy holiday party drinking champagne even if you’re just sitting on your couch in your old PJs watching Netflix.
DW Home Caramel Pumpkin Candle
DW Home’s pumpkin candles always sell out like hotcakes. Their “pumpkin pie” scented candle is already sold out, but this “caramel pumpkin” candle is arguably even more delicious smelling and will make you want to whip up some homemade holiday baked goods.
Here For The Burn Home Alone Candle
“Keep the change, ya filthy animal!” When it comes to iconic Christmas movies “Home Alone” is right up there at the top of the list. This candle comes in a classic holiday “spices and evergreen” scent or if you want something more non-traditional, you can also get it in a “mango guava” scent.
Yankee Candle Christmas Cookie Large Jar Candle
One of the best parts of baking Christmas cookies (other than eating them, of course), is the warm sugary scent that fills the air. Skip the whole long baking situation and simply light this candle for the exact same effect.
Voluspa Crushed Candy Cane Candle
This Voluspa candle comes in a gorgeous candy cane jar and has fragrant notes of peppermint and vanilla.
Otherland Silk Pajamas Candle
If you’re looking for something fancy but not Diptyque expensive, we love new-ish candle brand Otherland, which brings us familiar scents with a refreshing twist. And jars so beautiful, we’ll use them for lipstick and pens when we’ve burned them down to the wick. With notes of crystal ginger, bergamot zest and spiced yuzu, this is not your grandma’s Christmas candle.
George & Viv Holiday Village Boxed Candle
This holiday candle comes in a decorative box and wrapped in a tiny wreath, making it super giftable and perfect if you’re doing Secret Santa with your social circle.
Juliska Twelve Days of Christmas Candle
This luxe candle comes in a beautiful ceramic vessel with an illustration of a partridge in a pear tree, and it’s basically a work of art itself.
Broken Rosary Candle
If you’re looking for something totally out-of-the-box but still true to Christmas, may we suggest Boy Smells’ Broken Rosary candle? Notes include cedarwood, lush rose water, cardamom, moss, and cinnamon leaf. We guarantee you’ve never smelled anything else like it.
Winter Scented Candles
Sweet Water Decor Warm & Cozy Candle
Light this “warm and cozy” candle from Sweet Water Decor and you’ll instantly be transported to a woodsy lodge with a crackling fireplace. With notes of pine, orange, cinnamon, cypress and fir, it’s the ultimate cozy winter candle.
AGRARIA Bitter Orange Scented 7oz Perfume Candle
If you’re over Christmas tree-scented candles by this point, we get it. There’s a lot of spruce and pine out there, and there’s only so much we can take. If you want something more fruity and a little spicy, we totally recommend Agraria’s bitter orange scented candle, which is eternally luxurious and unlike anything we’ve lit before. It’ll make your space feel like winter, but it evokes the in-season citrus part of it that we love so much. Worth every dang penny.
Bath & Body Works 3-Wick Flannel Candle
There’s truly no better antidote to a rough day than putting on some brand new flannel pajamas and lighting a 3-wick candle from Bath & Body Works. Instant relief.
Winter Social “Smells Like Champagne Toasts & Mistletoe Moments” Candle
What does “champagne toasts and mistletoe moments” smell like? Notes of wood, orange flower, berries and prosecco.
Gray Malin Ski Candle
Release your inner ski bunny with this candle featuring artwork from photographer Gray Malin.
The Candleberry Company Hot Maple Toddy Candle
A “hot toddy” is a classic winter cocktail made from warmed whiskey, lemon juice and honey. Whip yourself up an adult beverage, light this candle and turn on a Hallmark holiday movie.
Outdoor Fellow Winter Fir Candle
Give this candle to your outdoorsy friend loves nature, doesn’t have a Twitter account and dreams of living in a cabin in the woods with spotty WiFi service.
Bath & Body Works Hot Cocoa & Cream Candle
Remember making hot chocolate as a kid with those powdered packets with tiny marshmallows inside? Now you can get that experience in candle form with this “hot cocoa and cream” candle.
Soy Christmas Candles
Birthdate December 25th Candle
Birthdate candles have a customized astrological reading based on your birthday on the back of each candle. But this soy and coconut wax blend candle makes a perfect gift for anyone who lives for Christmas, even if they weren’t born on December 25th.
Paddywax Wonder Holiday Collection in Balsam + Fir Candle
Balsam and fir is one of the most classic Christmas scents. This Paddywax candle comes in a pretty vessel that can easily be repurposed as a cocktail glass.
Homesick Holiday Stroll Candle
With top notes of sugar plum and red currants, this Homesick candle will make you feel like you’re bundled up taking an evening stroll through the neighborhood looking at all the house lights and decorations.
Illume Winter White Candle
This golden candle Illume’s Noble Holiday Collection looks ultra-fancy and expensive but is actually super reasonably priced.
Rifle Paper Co. Boxed Holiday Candle
This limited edition holiday candle from Rifle Paper Co. will make you want to fire up your Christmas playlist on Spotify, blast “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and trim the tree with lights.
Christmas Tree Candles
Lorenzen Candle Co. Christmas Tree Candle
This rustic Christmas tree candle is made specifically for people who use artificial trees but still want their home filled with that pine scent.
NEST Votive Candle- Birchwood Pine , 2 oz
We know this is our second NEST candle, but we can’t help it. If you want something absolutely divine and luxurious, NEST makes the most delicious candles that burn seemingly forever. This birchwood pine smells like a pine tree and all the sweetness of Christmas. It’s perfectly musky and earthy, and we’ll be lighting it every night, thankyouverymuch.
Yankee Candle Icy Blue Spruce Candle
Light this “icy blue spruce” scented candle and imagine yourself walking through the woods in New England after a fresh frost on a crisp winter day.
Evergreen Pillar Candle
Think out-of-the-box (or out of the jar, rather) and go for these pinecone-shaped pillar candles scented with notes of evergreen, white fir and cedarwood.
Santa’s Naturals Fraser Fir Christmas Candle, 2-Pack
Capture that nostalgic feeling of celebrating the holidays when you were a child with this set of Fraser fir-scented candles that come in retro tins.
