Christmas is fast approaching and if there's one thing we can guarantee will automatically put us in even more of a festive mood, it's a Christmas candle. With all the stress Christmas prep can bring, we're relying on these festive candles to give us a moment of cinnamon or pine scented zen amongst the madness.
We know everyone loves a Christmas candle, so we have sniffed our way through countless jars of wax all in the name of festive fun. From a Jo Malone Christmas must-have, to the most festive offering from The White Company to a candle that smells like an actual mug of hot chocolate, we guarantee these will be going on your wishlist.
These are the very best Christmas candles of 2023. Once you've got your mitts on 'em, just try not to burn them all at once, yeah...
Developed over 20 years ago, The White Company's Winter candle has become a staple in many people's home for its signature Christmas scent infused with cinnamon sticks, orange slices and red berries. We also love the hard outer shell of the candle that doesn't burn down and can double up as a Christmas decoration.
A trip to a Scandinavian forest may not be on the agenda this Christmas, but you can certainly transport yourself there with this Skandinavisk candle which gives off the scent of being in a crisp forest.
Burn Time
20 hours
Notes
Pine needles and fir cones, birch sap and woodland lily of the valley
Every year we look forward to M&S' light up Christmas candle designs, they're affordable, have intricate designs and always smell incredible. All you need to do to light the Christmas tree up is strike a match and light the candle.
A warming hot chocolate just screams festive season, so we were very intrigued to hear about this new hot chocolate and peppermint inspired candle which was developed in Grasse, the birth place of perfumery. Fancy. Oh and if you're a Beauty Pie member you can nab the candle for £25.
Burn Time
60 hours
Notes
Milk chocolate, peppermint, cake, vanilla, cocoa, butter, and wood
We always head to Jo Malone when we need to stock up on candles, and this special Christmas edition is embracing all the citrusy elements of Christmas with scents of orange mixed with sandalwood.
Ok this candle literally smells like you've just stepped foot into a Christmas tree farm, full of woody and pine notes that transport you to a forest woodland.
Burn time
60 hours
Notes
Balsam fir, dwarf pine crystals, clove water, spruce, amber, Austrian pine
Let's face it a cold frosty walk outside seems like the perfect winter activity, until you actually get outside and can't feel your toes. But you can still emulate the smells of that crisp winter walk with this Nordic Woods candle from The White Company, which has an incredibly long burn time of 70 hours.
A cosy spiced Christmas tea is one of our go to festive drinks, so when we found out we could get the same smells in candle form we were beyond excited.
Burn time
60 hours
Notes
Cocoa nibs, clementine, Christmas spices and sweet and aromatic notes of tea
We rely on Oliver Bonas candles year round, as they're not over powering but always deliver on scents that fill your home. We're a big fan of this Christmas edition with notes of frankincense and cedarwood.
Cinnamon and vanilla is a classic Christmas pairing and for less than £10, this is the perfect gift if you're scratching your head on what to buy that difficult family member, you literally can't go wrong.
Made from 100% natural soy wax, this Cowshed winter candle is ideal for creating a perfect cosy Christmas night in atmosphere, with scents of rose, neroli and ylang-ylang, as well as spicy cinnamon and cloves that gives a space a warm and floral fragrance.
Burn time
20 hours
Notes
Cinnamon, cloves
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Amaura London Festive Christmas Orange And Cinnamon Luxury Candle
This candle is making us feel all warm and cosy just by looking at it. And it's said to smell like 'crackling log fires', perfect if like us the closest you're getting to a real log fire this festive season is the one they have on Netflix.
Even if you're not getting a real tree this year (guilty) you can still conjure up that fresh pine scent in your home with this Christmas Trees candle from Jo Loves, which weaves together scents of lavender, incense and amber. Goodbye fake tree smell, hello fresh pine forest.
It's literally shaped like a Christmas tree, how can you not want to light this candle? In all seriousness, this candle is almost too pretty to burn, but we're sure we can manage it.
If you've never had a Woodwick candle before then let us introduce you to some of the best candles in existence. They have a literal wick that sounds like a crackling fire, and combined with a cinnamon chai scent, it would be a festive crime not to lit this in the run-up to Christmas.
We won't tell anyone if you choose to light this candle before Christmas Eve. It's meant to smell like a "blend of Blue Spruce woodiness and frosty winter tingles" aka a festive dream.
Ok, so cinnamon isn't the only scent you can get for Christmas candles and it's time to give the other festive scents some love, including cranberries. This Shearer candle combines the classic berry smell with a fiery ginger for a very festive combo.
Daniella Scott is Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. As part of her role, Danny covers all things entertainment, from true crime to scandalous drama (if there’s a con involved, she’s probably already binged it) and celebrity interviews, including Nicola Coughlan. Danny’s also across lifestyle, travel, interiors and food and drink, in both digital and print. So when she’s not trawling Instagram for the next best Ikea hack, she’s trying out cocktail recipes or pretending she has a driving license researching the UK’s best road trips.
Sophie Williams is a Freelance Journalist and Copywriter, covering everything from Fashion to Entertainment to music, Lifestyle and Features. She has interviewed a range of musical artists and authors including Alyssa Edwards, Courtney Barnett, Confidence Man, The Vaccines, Loyle Carner, Gabrielle, and John Niven, and has written for publications like Metro, Reader's Digest, ITV's Woo! and Vice’s NBGA. She is also working on a book for HarperCollins about Taylor Swift, due to be published in 2024.
Lydia Venn is Cosmopolitan UK’s Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer. She covers everything from TV and film, to the latest celebrity news. She also writes across our work/life section regularly creating quizzes, covering exciting new food releases and sharing the latest interior must-haves. In her role she’s interviewed everyone from Margot Robbie to Niall Horan, and her work has appeared on an episode of The Kardashians. After completing a degree in English at the University of Exeter, Lydia moved into fashion journalism, writing for the Daily Express, before working as Features Editor at The Tab, where she spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Talk Radio. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Gilmore Girls and 00s teen movies, and in her free time can be found with a margarita in hand watching the Real Housewives on repeat. Find her on LinkedIn.