I Burn Candles All Through the Holidays. Here Are My Favorites.

It doesn’t really get any more Christmassy than this pine-scented candle from Thymes that senior editor Jen Trolio calls “the best classic evergreen.” WriterJillian Mapesis also a fan: “Last year, I walked out with Thymes Frasier Fir candles for my godmother, my grandma, and a friend who seemed like she needed a little nudge toward Holiday Town (the piney scent will do that to you),” she writes. “I will weep if they ever stop making this candle.”

When it comes to luxury, few candles can come close to Cire Trudon, and its take on a fir just smells expensive. The packaging and vessel also come in a highly giftable, limited-edition holiday pattern. Bring one of these as a host gift wherever you’re spending the holidays and your host will thank you for it.

This set features four of Boy Smells’s holiday candles: Salty Caramel, Xxmas Tree, Starry Spice, and Hinoki Fantôme.

Is it even the holidays without Diptyque’s limited-edition candles? Definitely not. This year’s is designed by Parisian illustrator and bookseller Vincent Puente and features an absolutely adorable kitty named Archibald.

Flamingo Estate’s newer offering is inspired by Sant Ambroeus’s famous Principessa cake. It features notes of lemon sponge cake, vanilla pastry cream, and (most festive of all) almond marzipan. If your holiday dessert table isn’t complete without those little sculpted fruits, this is the candle for you this season.

For a decidedly less traditional take on a holiday candle, Heretic has released its “Not A Creature Was Stirring Candle,” which has notes of hickory, cedarwood, palo-santo berry, and ginger root that the brand promises “will linger … all through the house.” The package, which features dancing gold mice and is finished off with a tidy satin ribbon, makes it especially giftable.

Carson Kressleycalls these Votivo red-currant candles his winter go-to. “It kind of smells like the holidays. They make a small one in a glass jar that I carry when I travel, and I always get stopped at security like, ‘Ma’am, what is this?’ Now I’ve gotten to the point where I just pull it out and put it on the conveyor belt so they can see it’s a candle.”

There’s nothing better than curling up by the fireplace during the holidays. If you don’t have a fireplace, this candle — with notes of dwarf pine wood, cedar, and oak ash — is the next best thing. This year, D.S. & Durga dressed it up in a festive, limited-edition red-and-silver jar.

“I’ve owned a lot of luxurycandles, and many of them don’t pay off in the scent department. This one really fills a room,” saysflorist Ryan Norville. “It smells warm and woodsy with a little touch of cinnamon. You would think that would only be appropriate for the holidays, but I burn it in my house all year long.”

Hazeltine’s Holy Smoke “is a nod to all of our most pious earthly rituals, with notes of smoldering incense smoke, ancient resins, wooden pews, and sun-dried dates.” Though not specifically a holiday candle, it certainly reminds me of Christmas (though that’s probably the cradle Catholic in me talking).

I also love Buck Mason’s classic pine candle, which I’ve gifted to my brother two years in a row.

Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo picked up this candle while visiting the new East Fork store on Atlantic Avenue. We often talk about reusing the vessel once the last of the candle’s wax has been burned away, but very few jars are as nice as East Fork’s earthly ceramics. The brand recommends stashing anything from spoons to Q-tips, but I think the jars would also make lovely cups for espresso or mezcal.

Senior editor Hilary Reid has been recently burning these woodsy, limited-edition Hudson Grace candles. The cheery-red box and $22 price point also makes them an ideal Secret Santa gift or stocking stuffer.

Strategist associate editor Jeremy Rellosa describes Library in a Forest, the newest addition to the The New Savant’s core collection, as “very cozy.” It also comes in three sizes: Mini, with a burn time of up to 25 hours; Standard, which has a burn time of 50 hours, or the aptly named Big Boi, which can go for up to 100 hours.

“Cozy season calls for scents that feel like a cuddled-up hug. Carrière Frères’s winter-forest candle has a crisp freshness, but it’s rounded out with cozy fire and winter-flower notes,” say our friends over at the Cut.

If this time of year you prefer your house to perennially smell like you have a batch of cookies in the oven, instead of a forest, Trolio is a fan of Gingerwood by Poured Candle Bar. “It’s not on-the-nose holiday, but more of a ‘it’s cold outside’ kind of scent,” she says. Made in Hudson with notes of ​​walnut, star anise, ginger, and cardamom, it’s more spicy than sweet.

I look forward to Snif’s holiday candles every year, and this year’s release did not disappoint. It has more traditional notes of vanilla, tonka bean, and brown sugar mixed with frosted fir, Siberian pine, and pepper. If you can’t decide between a gourmand and a pine scent, this one is the best of both worlds.

Lafco might not have the sexiest packaging compared to some of the other candles on this list, but it more than makes up for it with its scent profiles and really strong throw. My mom was burning White Maple Bourbon when I was home for Thanksgiving, and it has a nice boozy zing to brighten up the sweetness.

For a cozy candle that smells a little more sophisticated than some other classic gourmand Christmas scents (think: sugar cookie), try Byredo’s Chai. “The Chaicandlereally does smell like that really lovely, creamy spiced tea,” Byredo enthusiastAntoni Porowskitold us. “It’s the ultimate nighttime scent.”

Malin+Goetz’s Dark Rum has notes of leather, ripe plum, bergamot, and a lactic milky note, which reminds me of drinking a cocktail by the fire.

“Lighting this candle reminds me of going to Catholic Mass with my grandmother and walking past an incense table in Brooklyn. It’s nostalgic and comforting,” says Strategist beauty writer (and candle aficionado) Tembe Denton-Hurst. “It also has an impressive throw, particularly when lit. After a half-hour of lighting the candle, my entire living room smells like it, lending the space a meditative feel.”

“I just burned thiscandlefor the first time a week ago and haven’t taken a break yet. It’s warm and sophisticated, but there’s this fruity, moody plum note that makes the scent so delightful,” says Strategist senior editor Crystal Martin, who loves it so much she plans to keep a few on hand to pass along as gifts this holiday season.