One such gift is the great Koala Bear candle, one of the wonderful shaped candles from Discount Candle Shop.  One of the things that make these animals so appealing is their peaceful faces with sleepy eyes encircling those endearing noses only a mother could love.  Through a special process of multi-stage pouring and hand painting, the artist has truly captured their soft, cuddly appeal in wax.  As the mother climbs the tree, baby clinging to her back, you almost want to pet them. 

I know that when I get a special candle I want to keep it just as it is, and thus never actually light it.  The great part about this candle is that it’s wide enough to hold a tealight candle – once you’ve burned it for a few hours, just place a tealight into the burn hole, then you can enjoy it as a truly special candle holder forever.

If you have a koala bear lover – or just an animal lover – on your Valentine’s Day gift list, this candle will make you a hero.  It’s adorable, affordable, and easy to order online.   What are you waiting for?

All my favorites are on sale now, including the adorable Frosted Candyland Pillar Candles and their matching Ceramic Gingerbread Candle Holder.  (I’ve put all these items in our Christmas Candle Shop so they’re easy for you to find!)  These peppermint stripped candles have a Christmas tree surrounding the wick, and offer a peppermint fragrance highlight with a hint of berries.  They are so cute, and you get the benefit of a scented candle in as well as a terrific decoration.

The Gingerbread Gumdrop House makes a fantastic centerpiece or decoration on any table.  Since it’s made of wax instead of actual gingerbread, this decoration can last for years too.  The kids will have to look closely to make sure that this is really a candle, since the gumdrops, icing on the rooftop and smiling gingerbread people flanking the door.  If you regularly participate in $10 gift exchanges, this gift would be a huge hit – everyone will realize it actually is worth more, but you’ll be telling the truth about staying within the agreed budget.  I love doing that.

There’s something so peaceful about spending an evening this way.  Between the large flames in the fireplace and the tiny flames of the candles, the room is filled with a golden glow, warm and cozy. 

Want to share this same evening with someone special?  You don’t have to wait for Valentine’s Day to do it.  Just bring home some hot chocolate and cookies and an assortment of pillars and votives in different sizes and colors.  Put a few candles on each table in the room, maybe a few on the mantle, then start the fire.  Make sure you have plenty of wood handy, so you don’t have to run outside into the frigid night for more logs.   Then relax and enjoy. 

By far, of all the candle stores we work with, Illuminations has the best after-holiday sale, so if you are one of those folks who shops now for next year, now is the time to pick up some great Christmas candles at bargain prices!

Lots of items are 50% off, and some are even 75% off, like Holiday Votive Trees, Ornament Advent Calendars, and a really pretty gold antique bowl just right for floating candles any time of the year! The sale will continue until they sell out of each item; Illuminations doesn’t tell how many of each are in stock, so buy your favorite new candle or candle holder right now, or you may not get what you want. We’ve got all the products we know are still in stock in our Christmas Candle Shop, and will keep that up to date as much as possible.

I just loved those color-changing star shaped floating candles, so I ordered some more as soon as they went on sale. These candles contain tiny LED lights which are activated by the light of the flame, producing a colorful glow within the candle. The glow revolves through a rainbow of colors, like red, blue, purple, green and yellow. Kids just love watching them! This technology is also available in Christmas candles shaped as snowmen and Christmas Trees.

Illuminations has a bunch of cool deals on Christmas scented candles going on too. For example, if you buy a Candy Cane Scented Candle (already on sale!), and you can get an additional discount if you buy a 2^nd one. You’ll also find discounts of an extra 15% on items already marked down from 50-75%. Their great deal of free shipping on orders over $75 is available too.

Today, let’s start with breakfast.  Most people add a single red rose to the breakfast tray to add color and fragrance to the meal.  This year, instead of a live flower, try a beautiful shaped candle instead!  There are several choices which convey your love, and the candle will certainly outlast any live flower.

I love the idea of a tiny floating candle next to the French toast.  A beautiful gardenia shaped candle, offering that delicate scent, is wonderful floating in just about any type of bowl.  Even if you use just a regular cereal bowl, add a drop of green food color to the water to offer contrast to the soft white petals of the floating candle. 

If you want something a little more traditional, Discount Candle Shop has wonderful heart shaped floating candles in a rich Valentine’s Day rose color.  Buy two candles to symbolize both of your hearts, and float them in either a clear or white bowl for a simple, yet classic addition to start this special day.

Here are some of the deals you’ll find right now:  

• Best of Illuminations Votive Set – 50% off 
• Color Changing Snowmen – 50% off 
• Vanilla diffuser – 25% off
• Ivory Rose Candles – 50% off
• Silver Reindeer Pillar Holders – 25% off
• Tapestry Candles – 50% off
• Apple Cider Scented Candles – 50% off 
• Apple Cinnamon Scented Candles – 50% off
• Bayberry Spice Scented Candles – 50% off
• Candy Cane Scented Candles – 50% off
• Eggnog Scented Candles – 50% off
• Gingerbread Scented Candles – 50% off
• Mulled Wine Scented Candles – 50% off
• Pumpkin Pie Scented Candles – 50% off
• Roasting Chestnuts Scented Candles – 50% off
• 3-Wick Scented Candles with Lid – 50% off
• Red and White Rose Floating Candle – 50% off

So visit our Christmas Candle Gift Shop now, and you can still be the thoughtful giver of great gifts!

The first one  to start a sale is always Illuminations.  They’ve got such a great selection of richly scented Christmas candles that are unique for this year, like candy cane and eggnog.  My favorites are their candles shaped like snowmen which contain LED lights.  Once you start burning the candle, the heat triggers the LED lights, which provides a cool, color-changing glow inside.  The kids just love watching these candles, which make them an excellent way to keep the little ones occupied at the dinner table.

Some of their decorative items, such as the votive village candle holders are also on sale, and more items will appear each day.  Watch for the discounts to continue to increase too.  Even with this great sale, Illuminations continues to offer free shipping on purchases over $75.

So if you’re a big bargain hunter like me, now’s the time to shop!

For girlfriends –  Do a mix and match type of gift.  Find a pretty wicker basket, and fill it with scented votive candles (cheap, colorful, and always a treat!), toss in a few shaped scented soaps and a puff, and add a Christmas bow to the handle. 

For the men on your list – since very few men still wear ties, consider Plan B – candles.  Choose one of those great coffee and cream candles from Illuminations, or get a set of coffee scented candles in great gift glasses from Candle Bay.  Even tough guys enjoy those aromas!

For your wife – Buy several pillar candles in different sizes, colors and floral scents for her bath.  Then go to the nearest jewelry store and buy a stunning necklace, earrings or bracelet.  Hey, I love candles, but I’m not crazy.  If you show up with just candles for your wife, you’re sleeping on the couch for a very long time.  Show up with jewelry and candles, and you’ll be a hero!

Nothing is more romantic than a candlelit dinner.  The classic idea is using a pair of tall tapers in elegant candle holders.  The light from just two candles is very soft, requiring sitting snuggly and close while savoring your meal.  The rest of  the room disappears into the shadows, making the whole world consist of just the two of you.

It’s very romantic to sit in front of a fire while exchanging Christmas gifts.  Make that experience even more special by adding a richly scented candle in a fragrance you will both love.  Even tough guys enjoy the aromas of gingerbread or coffee and cream candles.  Of course there are always sweet scents like candy canes or Christmas scents like pine trees to continue the holiday theme.

Finally, when it’s time to turn in, add an aromatherapy votive in your bedroom.  Several aromatherapy candles come in votive sizes, with essential oils such as ylang ylang or nutmeg which are popular for inspiring romance. 

Illuminations offers wonderful scented candles and aromatherapy candles.  100Candles also offers aromatherapy candles, and has some great taper candle holders as well.

There are so many choices for using Christmas candles in your bathroom.  If you just like simple votives, try an arrangement of green, red and white votives for traditional Christmas colors, or go elegant with blue and silver or gold and white votives.  By choosing scented votives, you can also add a soft fragrance without overpowering the room.

I know when I have guests, I used to leave a light turned on in the powder room so that they don’t have to hunt for the light switch.  Now I place a single lit votive in a decorative votive holder on the vanity as a soft guiding light.  Only do this if your guests are all adults (the lit candle may be too tempting for small children to touch!), and don’t forget to extinguish it at the end of the evening, or if the candle burns lower than ¼ inch tall.

Shaped candles like Christmas trees, snowmen, and Santa’s, also are adorable nestled next to the bathroom sink.  If your vanity is small, just one will do the trick; if you have more space, create a small scene! 

A great selection of votives candles, including scented votive candles, is available through 100Candles.com.  DiscountCandleShop.com has both votive candles and Christmas shaped candles at amazing prices!