One of my favorite places to decorate with Christmas candles is our fireplace mantel.  This wonderfully long surface, high above the reach of small children and pets, already has a beautiful wood color to start with.  Our mantle is light oak.

I love the  look of thick pillar candles along the mantelpiece.  This year I’ve chosen bayberry scented pillars, both because of their inspiring fragrance and the deep rich color that perfectly matches the Christmas season.  I picked up some fresh evergreen boughs at the local nursery for the same reason. 

To create a very clean arrangement, I place three six inch pillars in the center of the mantel, about 4” apart from each other.  Next, flank the six inch pillars with three inch pillars, again spacing them 4” apart.  Continue adding shorter pillars on each side to make the arrangement as wide or narrow as you wish, then weave the fresh evergreen boughs around the pillars.  The tall pillars provide a focal point for the arrangement, while the shorter ones add color.  The combination of the richly scented pillars and the evergreen boughs will fill your room with an inviting Christmas scent.

Great scented pillars in a variety of fragrances are available from Illuminations.com.  You an also find some nice choices of pillars at Discount Candle Shop.

Are you invited to someone’s home for a Christmas party, holiday dinner, or New Year’s Eve party? My mom always taught me never to go to someone’s house without taking a gift, so I’ve always taken a plate of fudge (if I have time!), poinsettia plant, or some other item as a hostess gift. We took a bottle of wine to the last Christmas party, and ours was the 12^th bottle brought by guests. I wanted it to be something special! So this year, instead of wine, we’re choosing Christmas candles as hostess gifts, so that our hosts know that we truly thought about the gift, rather than just stopped at the wine shop on the way to the party.

We thought about each home we would be visiting during December, and picked out just the right candle to fit their décor and personal tastes. Our first hostess loves Aromatherapy candles, and her home is wonderfully decorated. That’s why we chose the Peace Aromatherapy candle from Illuminations. It’s beautifully wrapped, and the mixture of clove, orange and cinnamon make the aroma irresistible.

Our hosts for Christmas dinner are a bit more subtle in everything, so we ordered a Leather Bohemian Candle from CandleBay.com. The color is a deep, rich brown which will match their color scheme, and the scent is a mixture of spice and cedarwood, with just enough fragrance to smell wonderful without overpowering anyone.

So, what are your hosts and hostesses like? If they love flowers, a richly scented jar candle will fit the bill. If they have kids, go with something fun, like floating candles shaped like giant peppermint candies, along with a simple bowl to place them in. When you go to someone’s home with something that you obviously chose just for them, it shows you really cared, and makes them feel even more special. I just love it when that happens!

I confess, I love pumpkin pie!  Whether it has whipped cream on top or not doesn’t really matter, as long as I can savor the flavor.  Pumpkin pie means Christmas, time with family and friends, holiday decorations like Christmas candles, and delicious goodies baking in the oven.

Problem is that I’m going on a cruise in a few months, and indulging in pumpkin pie now won’t help me fit into my bathing suit then.  Luckily, with a pumpkin pie scented candle, I can satisfy that hunger without adding pounds.  Since a large pumpkin pie scented jar candle is affordable, I’m also using some as Christmas gifts under twenty dollars .

Since I’m frugal, I’ve bought a few pumpkin candles in different sizes.  That way, when I choose which candle to light, I keep in mind how long I have to enjoy it.  If I’m going to be home all evening, I’ll choose the scented jar candle because there’s enough time to melt the entire top of the wax; otherwise if I just light a car candle for a little while it will just burn down by the wick, wasting the rest of the jar!  If time is short I choose a pumpkin scented votive candle, which unleashes full fragrance even during just a short burn.

So tonight, when the temp drops into the 20’s and we build a warm fire, I’ll light a richly scented candle, then let the warmth and the fragrance fill my senses.  Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?

I love our dogs, so I’m always on the lookout for gifts for dog lovers.  One of the coolest items I’ve found are dog shaped candles from DiscountCandleShop.com.  These candles are about the size of a small book standing on end, with a 3D relief of each animal emerging from one size.  In addition to perfectly matching the shape of the canine’s head, the candle is in full color, showing the beautiful lines of each dog’s fur and coloring.  If you have are searching for Yorkshire Terrier gifts or Chihuahua gifts, these items are the perfect Christmas candle gift – and you can be sure they won’t get a duplicate!

Ears alert, tiny nose peaking out, the Chihuahua candle is a great example.  The candle is 4 inches tall, three inches in length, and just over three inches deep.  My favorite features of this candle are the cute little eyes and the hint of a smile on this sweet creature’s face.  I get the same feeling looking at the Beagle candle, with his sweet little head cocked to one side, floppy ears draped against his neck, white snout surrounded by brown fur that looks so soft you’ll want to pet them.

The Boxer candle, complete with furrowed brow and droopy lips, reflects the playful personality of this regal breed.  The Golden Retriever candle captures this animal’s very soul, with soft eyes, alert brow, and even a hint of his tongue emerging from his mouth.

Other breeds available include German Shepherds, Poodles, and Rottweilers.  There are also candles shaped like other animals, like Orca whales, elephants, and koala bears.  The candles are less than $20 and are unscented.  I checked, and the company made sure they had a great supply in stock for the holidays, because as Christmas candle gifts, these are one of their most popular items.

One of my favorite things about the holidays is all the baking, with the aroma of delicious sweet treats filling the kitchen.  Working full time doesn’t give me as many chances to make Christmas cookies, but I still find a way to indulge in those fragrances, with Christmas scented candles in scents like gingerbread and vanilla poundcake.  Illuminations.com offers these great fragrances as scented jar candles, and many are also available as pillars, in a large variety of sizes from tiny votives that will burn 15 hours to large jar candles that can last up to 100 hours.

I can’t decide whether my favorite richly scented candles are oatmeal raisin cookies or pumpkin pie.  One whiff of the oatmeal raisin cookie scented candle and I can almost taste the raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg mixed with vanilla and the earthy fragrance of warm oatmeal.  But who could resist pumpkin pie, complete with clove, cinnamon and nutmeg?  When I breathe in this one, I start looking for the whipped cream.  That’s why one of the best things about enjoying these candles is you vicariously get the pleasure of these treats with absolutely no calories!

If your favorite memories are tied to something sweet to drink instead, Illuminations has something for that too.  For something sweet, there’s apple cider, sharing the scent of green apples mixed with pear and brandy and just the right combination of spices.  When you are up late at night wrapping gifts, pretend you are in your favorite coffee shop with a coffee and cream scented candle.  Of course there are traditional Christmas beverage scents too, like eggnog, bayberry spice and mulled wine.  Yum!

I managed to get most of my Christmas gift shopping done today, but it was nasty fighting the traffic at the mall, driving around and around, searching for a parking place so I could buy one more present for each of my nieces. Christmas gifts for teens – always a challenge.  Finally I realized that they were old enough (one is 15, the other 17) for candles.  Now came the fun part – choosing which Christmas candles they would like best. 

The oldest one is thoughtful and sensitive, so I chose aromatherapy candles for her.  Since she’s never experienced aromatherapy candles with essential oils before, it seemed right to choose something from both ends of the spectrum, so I ordered a set of 6 vitality scented votive candles and 6 tranquility scented votives, along with a frosted votive cup, from Illuminations. 

The younger one is full of spirit and energy, so she’s getting Rocker Girl Puff Jars from CandleBay.  The candles are scented with red fruits and vanilla, scents which young girls love. The jars they come in show attitude in their colorful design.

Of course both girls will get thorough instructions in the responsibilities of  having a candle in their rooms – make sure they watch it, never leave a burning candle unattended, etc, and I know that their parents will always be watchful. 

Do you have a teenager on your list who is ready for a candle?  If you do, check out the beauty and fashion, rock n roll, and tropical candles on CandleBay, or any of the scented candles on Illuminations, and you’re sure to find just the right Christmas candle gift that’s sure to bring a smile to their face.

As you plan your holiday table, no doubt you’ve got something in mind as a centerpiece.  Christmas candle centerpieces add color and energy to every table.  Choosing the right centerpiece to make or buy can help you create exactly the mood you want around your Christmas table, whether it’s one of elegant sophistication or holiday whimsy.

Tall, slender tapers fit the plan for a graceful dinner table.  Surrounded by greens or standing in beautiful candle holders that fit the season, the flow of a single flame or two is delicate and special.  The most popular taper colors for Christmas are white, red, and green, but many people also enjoy metallic tapers in silver or gold.  CandleBay.com has a beautiful combination of deer shaped candle holders with birch tapers – it brings an outdoor feel indoors, yet the set is graceful enough for even the most discerning diners.  Discount Candle Shop has scented tapers too, with fragrances like bayberry.

Another popular arrangement is a small grouping of pillars of assorted heights, perhaps on a tray surrounded by evergreen  boughs with tiny decorations like little gingerbread men or Santa’s.  You could also use shiny round Christmas tree ornaments in either a variety of colors, or all the same shade if you have selected a monochromatic theme. An easy choice is placing the pillars on a mirrored tray; it’s a simple yet special addition to every holiday table.  Discount Candle Shop has pillars decorated like candy canes, starting at $7.

As you are choose the pillars, make sure to consider the menu – would it be better to have a scented candle enhance appetites, or would unscented allow your guests to better enjoy the aromas of the meal?  There’s no right or wrong choice here, just something to consider.