There’s nothing that says Christmas quite like festive candles! Integrating candles into your home adds scent and color to your existing decorations. Candles are perfect for tablescapes, shelves, vignettes, window displays and pretty much anywhere you need a little pop of something special. They also make a great gift for stocking stuffers, teachers, neighbors, hostess gifts and more. When it comes to decorating with candles, the possibilities are truly endless.

Set the Mood

Seasonal candles are a unique way to spread the holiday spirit throughout your entire home. Having multiple candles in your decorations provides alternative lighting that complements other Christmas lights that you have in your decorations or on your tree. They also can diffuse scents in your room to further give your home that classic Christmas feel. Due to their relatively compact nature, candles can be placed pretty much anywhere. Whether this be standing alone on a shelf, an end table or a windowsill, candles can add a pop of color in an area that might be hard to decorate. While candles are great decorations on their own, you can also work them into tablescapes, Christmas villages or centerpieces to add to existing decor.

A Timeless Gift

Just like how candles are great for decorating your own home, they are perfect gifts as they are easy to incorporate into any space. Candles are a timeless classic that anyone receiving would be sure to appreciate and find a good use for. Choose a color and scent you know the recipient will love or go with a neutral style if you’re unsure. However, don’t stress too much about choosing the perfect candle for everyone on your list. Candles are meant to be enjoyed, and can easily be switched out when the wick gets low - or the season changes.

If you are looking for a way to upgrade this gift, you can also consider a tasteful candle holder or a platter to pair with the candle.

Christmas Scented Candles

Although there is no perfect and universal smell of Christmas, there are certain scents that subconsciously bring about feelings of the holiday season. These include, but are not limited to:

• Vanilla: This is a warm and savory scent that is sure to invoke pleasant memories of freshly baked cookies and sweet treats!

• Mulberry: With notes of berries, cherries, and oranges, this combination brings a unique and cozy holiday feel into your home that complements any other scents that might be present.

• Winter Woods: This scent tries to replicate the feeling of a pine forest on a cold winter day. Especially in the Midwest, this smell is bound to bring about holiday memories from Christmases past.

• Cinnamon: The smell of cinnamon is a comforting scent that can bring about warm feelings of the holidays and the delicious treats that often come with it. Integrating this into your home is sure to make it smell like the holidays!

• Cinnamon Apple: Adding a little something extra, cinnamon apple will captivate your guests from the second they enter. It’s a scent that can be used in the fall and appreciated all holiday season.

Beyond selecting your candles for scent alone, you can also find Christmas-colored candles to add more festivity to your space. Whether this be a classic red or green or more subtle white, gold or silver, you can’t go wrong with any combination that you select!

The Perfect Pair

If you are looking for a little more to add than just a candle, there are many items you can pair with this decoration to make it a little more festive. These additions can consist of (but are not limited to):

• Candle holders: These are perfect for adding more dimension to your decor, as they help candles become a more prominent and recognizable part of your decorations. They can be used to add a variety of heights to a vignette.

• Platters: This is a good way to move candles from place to place and bring in some fun designs into your decor, or can also be a subdued and classy addition depending on what you are looking for as well as protecting your table tops and linens.

• Candelabras: This can be an elegant addition to your decorations, and works great for tablescapes and centerpieces to stand your candles above other decor items.

These simple additions can bring more sophistication and cohesion to your home and make your candles stand out as a prominent part of your decorations.

Utilizing candles throughout your home for the holidays can add an all-encompassing Christmas feel to your rooms through the scents and pops of color and the gentle flicker of the natural or battery operated flame. Candles are so universal that there is no wrong way to integrate them, giving you the freedom to display them in a variety of ways in your home.

Safety tip: don’t forget to follow candle safety instructions, such as burning candles within sight and keeping them away from flammable materials, kids and pets, so nothing gets in the way of your holiday enjoyment!