Forget the advent calendars, mince pies, and Christmas jumpers, the festive season hasn’t fully started until I get a whiff of my Christmas candles. These seasonal treats will uplift your home, your mood, and your festive spirits, especially if you’ve been playing Michael Buble since the 31st of October (me too).
When it comes to candles, I have to admit, I’m a bit of a snob. I worked for a luxury perfume brand for six years and trained as a master perfumer on the side. Whilst I am picky about the candles that come into my home, I'm also on a budget, so I like to look for affordable candles that make my friends say 'wow'. Having burned my way through every single Christmas candle that's on the high street (and your Instagram feed) I've pulled together this list of the best Christmas candles.
Some of you will want to go for a classic combination of festive notes. You’ll look for candles that are packed with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and spices. I don’t blame you. These are rich, cosy, and naturally sweet. For most people, they're what Christmas smells like.
I've put something for everyone in this guide. Each candle has my master perfumer guarantee, as well as approval from my bank card. Only now that we’ve sorted the candles can we start with ideas for decorating the Christmas tree and Christmas crackers.
The best Christmas candles for a festive, cosy home
Whilst there are plenty of scent-rational Christmas candles from classic brands on this list, my top three choices contain some surprises. They still diffuse the very essence of Christmas into your home, whilst also offering something a little different and more memorable too.
Fragrance family: smoky, rich | Notes: incense, tonka, frankincense, myrrh | Size: 240g | Wax: mineral | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 50 hrs
Reasonably priced and expertly infused, this is a beautiful Christmas candle. There’s all the spicy notes, with a touch of rich spiciness in the base to give the Espa impressive longevity and throw. The true treat with Espa comes with the packaging. Not only does the ceramic jar feel like it should be twice the price, the box is beautiful too. I got the team to guess how much this costs and all estimates were at least double the RRP.Â
Fragrance family: fruity, spicy | Notes: orange, cinnamon, clove, cedarwood | Size: 220g | Wax: soy | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 60 hrs
Plum & Ashby have long been making some of the most beautiful, natural Christmas candles. Their scents are universally loved and stocked in lots of independent boutiques. Cinnamon bark and dried mandarin is their new candle for the season and it’s a fresh twist on the classic Christmas scent. Packed with spice, woodiness, and fruity tones, this is Christmas in a jar.Â
Fragrance family: woody, fresh, green | Notes: Siberian pine, resin, cedar, patchouli | Size: 70g | Wax: soy | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 50 hrs
If there’s ever a time for adding some shimmer, sparkle, and showboating to your candle collection, it’s Christmas. Diptyque’s Sapin is available all year round, with the fragrance of forests bottled up inside it. However, for Christmas, they elevate the candle to golden levels. Paired with their carousel which casts curved and straight shadows around the room and it’s a Christmas centrepiece.Â
The different types of Christmas candles
If you want a way to quickly choose the perfect candle for you, I've grouped them into four categories, with a bonus fun, festive one that's based entirely on appearances at the end. Here's a breakdown of how I group the best Christmas candles:
- Classic Christmas candles: these are warm, spicy, and a little sweet. If you love cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, warm orange, and the likes, you'll love these candles
- Fresh and fruity Christmas candles: this collection draws on warm orange, sharp neroli, and red berries. They're still effortlessly festive, but fresher and lighter
- Green and fresh Christmas candles: in here, we've got pine scents, evergreens, and Christmas tree candles. They're like having a whole forest of real trees in your home, just without all the nasty needles.
- Woody and smoky Christmas candles: as well as fireside, logs, ambers, and all things rich and woody. If you want a candle that'll leave a lasting scent, look no further than here
Classic Christmas candles
When most of us think of a classic Christmas candle, we dream up the gingerbread, mulled wine, and mince pie-type spices. The six candles below have bottled that up, diffusing warming cinnamon and cosy clove with a pinch of nutmeg, and ginger. Some will add woody undertones (sandalwood is always a failsafe), whilst others will go for something a little more aromatic and rich, such as frankincense. Alternatively, it's popular to lean in on the natural sweetness of the spices and add a juicy orange note in there. Whatever the blend, I always think these candles are delicious.
Fragrance family: citrus | Notes: neroli, lime, bergamot | Size: 120g | Wax: soy | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 20 hrs
This is a delicious addition to any home. M&S’ affordable festive candle smells exactly like Christmas should and sells out every year. I've actually had to replace the link for this one with a beautiful design. It's just as beautiful and equally twinkly, if not more. Once in the light of a flame, the whole vessel will sparkle. It's really magical.
Fragrance family: warm and spicy | Notes: orange, clove, cinnamon | Size: 140g | Wax: mineral | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 28 hrs
A signature gift of mine, The White Company nails the scent of Christmas with their winter candle. It's been the same scent for 21 years, because why mess with a classic? If you’re looking for an extra special gift, their botanical candle has dried fruit and spices set into the wax and three wicks.
Fragrance family: citrus | Notes: mandarin, clove, cinnamon | Size: 10g | Wax: soy | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 5 hrs
Taking time to switch out your tea lights for a scented candle will make all the difference. This set of 24 comes beautifully packaged in a festive house and they smell like mince pies and chai. I know what all my friends will be getting for Christmas.
Fresh and fruity Christmas candles
Fruits are another great go-to around this time of year and you can take fruitiness in different directions. Some will lean into red berries and resins, think cranberries, holly berries, and snowy scenes. Other brands take the orange theme and run with it, creating negroni and orange bitters-inspired candles that smell almost too good to burn.
Whilst I do love a classic Christmas candle, I often find myself reaching for these in the daytime, because they're lighter and less heavy.
Fragrance family: fruity | Notes: fir resin, currants, musk | Size: 220g | Wax: proprietary blend | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 50 hrs
Red currants certainly look festive on top of the Christmas cake, but this candle is proof that they can smell festive too. The bright, fruity notes blend with the richer woody tones of fir resin and musk. This is all perfectly matched by the chic red jar that this comes with. If you want something that cuts through the cosiness, whilst offering something fun and festive, this is perfect.
Fragrance family: citrus | Notes: orange, neroli, sandalwood | Size: 200g | Wax: coconut and soy | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 45 hrs
You can only buy this candle around Christmas time and I swear its one of the main reasons that I get excited about Christmas. Ever the experts, Jo Malone blends the juicy sweetness of orange and mandarin with some sharper neroli. The resulting fragrance is bursting with freshness but in a sophisticated way. I wear the perfume, I burn the candle. I transform into this at Christmas time.
Fragrance family: warm, herbal, aromatic | Notes: cinnamon, orange, clove, thyme, rose, vanilla | Size: 200g | Wax: soy | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 45 hrs
Aery has three gorgeous winter candles (the other two are Nordic Fireside and Northern Lights), but this one made the final cut, because it’s a Christmas classic. The notes of cinnamon, clove, and orange spell a recipe for seasonal success, but adding a little thyme transforms this into something fresher than all the other classics.
Green and fresh Christmas candles
Green and woody fragrances can either contrast or complement each other. The ones that I'd call 'green' in this section are pine-inspired, so they're sharp and very fresh. They're the ultimate replacement (or enhancer) for your fresh, real Christmas tree. I like burning these in the daytime as much as the evening, because they help to cut through stuffy air inside, when all the windows are closed and we're all full of food.
Fragrance family: green, fresh | Notes: pine, fir, birch, lily | Size: 200g | Wax: Swedish rapeseed | Wick: organic cotton | Burn time: 50 hours
This gives all the fragrance of a fresh Christmas tree without the needles that stick in the carpet for monhs on end. It's green, zesty, fresh, and uplifting. And that's not even the best part. Skandinavisk is an increidbly eco-friendly brand. They're a B Corp, all their ingredients are vegan, and the candles are refillable.
Fragrance family: green | Notes: white pine, fir, balsam | Size: 230g | Wax: soy | Wick: lead-free cotton | Burn time: 60 hrs
Every Instagrammer seems to have this in their homes and now, I understand why. The brand has taken all the sharp evergreen notes of white fir trees and the outdoors and created a candle that smells like a forest. I think the fresh, sweet balsam is going some impressive work in there.
Fragrance family: green, woody | Notes: pine, eucalyptus, clove| Size: 200g | Wax: paraffin | Wick: lead-free | Burn time: 50 hrs
This limited edition candle comes out every year and I snap it up. These sell out quickly, not just because they look beautiful, but because they smell as good as a real pine tree, if not better, thanks to the subtle, yet spicy extra notes infused into the fragrance profile. If you're not sold on a candle, the diffuser smells really strong too.
Woody and smoky Christmas candles
If you like the strong, delicious, enduring scents in your home, these are the ones to opt for. Lots of people consider woody fragrances to be more 'masculine', but that's rapidly changing; I've seen a lot of development in the perfume industry of female-focused woody fragrances.
Around this time of year, candle companies like to blend the woody notes with vanillas, ambers, and musks. They make for a delicious, rich scent that makes your home feel extra-cosy.
Fragrance family: smoky, woody | Notes: wood fire, cedar oil, guaiac wood oil, black leather | Size: 185g | Wax: soy | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 40 hrs
Bonfire night is behind us, but that doesn’t mean that the smoky, woody scent of log fires can’t hang in the air. This is powerful, comforting, and a little bit earthy. I prefer it to The White Company’s Fireside, which is similar, but this has an edge of softness to it, that helps keep a house feeling homely.
Fragrance family: sweet, woody, warm | Notes: amber, vetiver, pepper | Size: 300g | Wax: natural | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 50 hrs
This candle is inspired by cosy evenings cuddled around the fire. That's a recipe for Christmas, but it's not too in-your-face about being festive. I'd call this a winter candle. And it's certainly one of my favourites.
Fragrance family: smoky, woody | Notes: jasmine, cedar, cassis | Size: 200g | Wax: paraffin | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 30 hrs
Close your eyes and imagine you're taking a walk in a snow-kissed forest. That's this candle. It's got the scent of cold, fresh air, with fresh sharp cedar and sweet cassis, touched with some delicate jasmine. Hand-filled in Stockholm, this is fresh and cosy. A stunning scent.
Fun and Festive Christmas candles
Fragrance family: spicy, fruity | Notes: jasmine, cedar, cassis | Size: 50g | Wax: paraffin | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 12 hrs
Perfect for gifting, this mini candle has the winter scent nailed. It’s firmly in the spicy, woody, and fruity family, but what makes I special is the cork stopper that has three Christmas trees sat on top. You can shape these until your heart’s content, but I think they’d make a beautiful gift with some milky spices and chocolate.Â
Fragrance family: smoky, woody | Notes: red berry, clove, cinnamon, vetiver | Size: 200g | Wax: paraffin | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 30 hrs
I love a candle that brings some festive fun to the table too and that’s exactly what the Next does. With a vintage-style finish, it looks like a traditional Christmas decoration, but you can’t lift off the lid, light the wick, and enjoy the flicker and glow of the candle.Â
Fragrance family: various | Notes: various | Size: 200g | Wax: mineral and vegetable | Wick: cotton | Burn time: 3 hrs each
I could have filled a buying guide with St Eval’s Cornish candle collection. Whilst they have an advent taper candle, which has 24 layers of wax for every day, I love their advent slender. Behind each door is a tea light, to sit in the special vessel that they send. They do natural, strong fragrances perfectly, look out for the my favourite too.
FAQs
What is the most Christmassey scent?
There's no escaping the appeal of spices around Christmas time. If I had to select just a few notes that are guarenteed to evoke Christmas, I'd go for cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. That's not to say that sharp pine, bitter orange, or smoky firewood isn't Christmassey, because they all make for perfect home fragrances, but the spices really come into their own around this time of year.
Which Christmas candle smells the strongest?
Woody and leather notes are the strongest, so they'll be the most noticeable and most enduring in the same quantity as orange, for example. Spices will also be relatively strong, whilst fruits and florals are the least potent of all. If you're someone who loves an orange scent around Christmas and you want to know how to make yours last longer, think about opting for an orange candle that has some woody undertones, because this will help to 'hold' your fragrance for longer.
What type of wax should by candle be made from?
Natural waxes are much better for burning, endurance, and, most importantly the air quality in your home. I always look for soy, coconut, rapeseed, or beeswax in candles. As long as it's natural, you should be okay. The one to avoid is paraffin, because this is cheap, it doesn't burn well, and it's likely to leave black on your walls.
What kind of wick should my candle have?
Always go for a natural wick, such as cotton. Some used to have lead in, but most are advertised as lead-free now. It's always good to check though.
What is a good burn time for a candle?
It depends on the size of your candle. I wouldn't really buy a 200g candle if the burn time was under 20 hours. Bigger candles should have up to 100 hours of burn time, so make sure to check that you're getting good value for money.
Which candles won't leave black on the walls?
Any that don't use a paraffin wax or a lead-containing wick. This is why I always opt for natural waxes and cotton wicks. If there's black on your walls, it's probably also in the air, being breathed in my you and your family.
So, there you have it. I've tested over 60 of the best candles on the market and these are the only (and the best) Christmas candles out there. I won't be burning anything else in my home except the ones that you see in this list. The great thing about them is that they're also an easy gift to give to anyone that you're seeing around Christmas too.
