12 of the best Christmas candles to make your home smell festive

Discover the very best Christmas candles available this holiday season. From spicy and fruity to fresh and snowy, these are the most gorgeous festive votives out there

Three Christmas candles on a green and gold marble background
(Image credit: Future)
Christmas candles: Quick Menu

Christmas candles are our favorite thing to buy as gifts and for ourselves. Nothing quite gets one in a festive mood like a brand-new candle that smells of sugar and spice and all things nice — or of resinous pine, if you prefer clean and woody scents that can transport you to a Nordic forest in no time at all. 

The other thing we like about Christmas candles is the gorgeous packaging and limited edition sets from our favorite brands — there are a couple of stunning limited edition candles in this guide that we want to buy before they sell out forever.

From traditional spicy accords to more modern takes on Christmas, these will delight you and everyone who comes to visit. Want more scent-spiration? Our best candles buyer's guide hasn't been installed with smell-o-vision just yet, but we've tried and tested to the lot to be your scent sommelier if you will.

Christmas candle deals

Want to get a head start on your Christmas shopping?  With less than two and a half weeks to go until Xmas, these deals on scented festive candles are still live. If you love Yankee Candles, all three of these large Christmassy jars are currently discounted.

1. Wax & Wit Hot Cinnamon Roll Christmas Candle |Was $24.95 Now $15.95 (save $9) at Amazon

1. Wax & Wit Hot Cinnamon Roll Christmas Candle | Was $24.95 Now $15.95 (save $9) at Amazon

Is there anything that sounds more inviting and wholesome than hot cinnamon rolls? I don’t think so. It is a smaller 9oz size, but reviewers do say that it still has a good throw and can fill a whole room. The size also makes it an ideal stocking filler. This candle is handmade and made by a small business, so you’ll be supporting an independent maker even by shopping on Amazon. With 36% off, this is the lowest price we've seen in 30 days.

2. Yankee Candle Sparkling Cinnamon Candle | Was $30.99 Now $21.48 (save $9.51) at Amazon

2. Yankee Candle Sparkling Cinnamon Candle | Was $30.99 Now $21.48 (save $9.51) at Amazon

One of the most highly rated Yankee Candles on Amazon, this spicy beauty has over 52,000 five-star ratings on the site. The mixture of cinnamon and vanilla is the perfect combo of sweet and spicy scents according to shoppers — some who even say that they normally hate cinnamon say that they love this candle. If straight cassia bark isn't your thing, Amazon has also slashed the price of Kitchen Spice to $16.88. This scent blends sweet orange, clove, ginger, and cinnamon for a simmer pot-style smell.

3. Yankee Candle Christmas Cookie Scented Candle | Was $30.99 Now $28.98 (save $2.01) at Amazon

3. Yankee Candle Christmas Cookie Scented Candle | Was $30.99 Now $28.98 (save $2.01) at Amazon

If you ever baked Christmas cookies and wished that you could bottle the scent, this candle jar comes pretty close to doing just that. With notes of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, and sugar, it sounds irresistible. The Paraffin-grade wax delivers a clear, consistent burn, and this jar will burn for up to 150 hours.

12 Christmas candles to get you in the festive spirit

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Ready to find your perfect festive scent? We've split these out into different scents and into a luxe section, so you can easily find what you're looking for.

The prices below were correct at the time of publishing this article.

Sweet Christmas candles

If sugary scents are your thing, you'll love these candles that smell as delicious as they look.

Spicy Christmas candles

Like your candles to have a little festive kick? Spicy scents will add a touch of warmth and exotic to your space.

Outdoorsy Christmas candles

Bring the outdoors into your home with these refreshing scents that are still very Christmassy. This selection is particularly good for city dwellers who don't have a backyard or balcony garden.

Luxury Christmas candles

If you're looking to spend a little extra on Christmas candles, take a look at these fan-favorite buys from popular luxe candle brands.

FAQs

What candle scent for Christmas?

Choosing a Christmassy candle fragrance can be quite a personal decision, as different scents can evoke emotion and nostalgic memories. In short, some people like gourmand notes (think vanilla sugar cookies and sweet gingerbread), others lean towards fresh fruity notes like mandarin and cranberry, and more sophisticated noses may appreciate smokey-scented waxes that recreate the smell of a logfire without the commitment of a real one.

How do you make Christmas smell at home?

There are loads of different ways to infuse your home with the smell of Christmas. As well as buying Christmas candles, you could also bake gingerbread, make a spiced winter simmer pot, or prepare batches of mulled wine or cider. But out of all of these options, lighting a candle is the quickest by far.

How we chose these candles

Not to toot my own trumpet or anything, but I shop for a living, browsing the internet for the most highly-rated homewares. Our team regularly calls in home fragrance straight from brands and their PR representatives, but if we can't get our hands on the best Christmas candles, we will scan through (literally) hundreds of customer reviews to make sure you're getting the best product that your money can buy. Oh, and I've personally tried the Nest New York Holiday Candle myself having been gifted a sample at one of the brand's festive events.

Where to buy Christmas candles

If we're barking up the wrong (Christmas) tree with this pool of scents, here are a list of retailers that you can shop at for festive fragrance. Some are department stores, and others are direct-to-consumer brands.


Want to envelop the house in festive fragrance? Our Christmas reed diffuser guide will allow you to layer scents to create a multi-dimensional experience in your winter abode. 

Christina Chrysostomou
Former acting head ecommerce editor

Hi, I'm the former acting head ecommerce editor at Real Homes. Prior to working for the Future plc family, I've worked on a number of consumer events including the Ideal Home Show, Grand Designs Live, and Good Homes Magazine. With a first class degree from Keele University, and a plethora of experience in digital marketing, editorial, and social media, I have an eye for what should be in your shopping basket and have gone through the internal customer advisor accreditation process.

With contributions from