The 10 best holiday candles to make your home smell merry and bright

When you think of a classic holiday scent, chances are it’s warm and cozy with a slightly spicy undertone, and that’s exactly what this candle delivers. The Nest Holiday Scented Candle is a best-seller during the winter months, and it’s perfect for burning at home or giving as a gift. It has notes of pomegranate, mandarin orange, pine, cloves, and cinnamon with subtle hints of vanilla and amber, and the 8.1-ounce size burns for up to 60 hours and has an impressive throw that will make your whole home smell lovely. It’s also available in larger sizes on the Nest website, in case you want it to last even longer.

Diptyque is known for its high-end fragrances, and if you simply can’t choose between its limited-edition holiday scents, you can try them all with this set of three mini candles. The holiday candle set includes Sapin, which has notes of Siberian pine, resin, cedar, and patchouli; Friandise, which smells like gingerbread, cinnamon, candied orange peel, and vanilla; and Étoile, which has rose notes, sandalwood, mimosa, and iris. Each candle is 2.5 ounces with a 20-hour burn time, and the set comes in a pretty decorative box that makes it ideal for gifting.

If you want to make your home smell good but don’t want to spend a lot, Target’s Threshold candles are an unbeatable value. This two-wick candle is just over 15 ounces and offers up to 50 hours of burn time, yet it only costs $10. So go ahead, buy two (or three)! The Christmas Cheer scent features a seasonal blend of fruit and festive spices, and its red wax and decorative label will fit right in with the rest of your holiday decor.

If you prefer gourmand fragrances, the Voluspa Crushed Candy Cane candle is the perfect option for the holidays. It has the sweet scent of peppermint, but it’s also mixed with an undertone of freshly baked cookies, making your home smell like a bakery. This popular candle comes in a wide range of sizes, from mini tins to oversized hearth candles, and the classic 18-ounce jar burns for up to 100 hours, letting you enjoy the scent all throughout the holidays. It also comes in a red-and-white striped glass jar, complete with a matching lid.

Bath & Body Works always has an amazing collection of holiday candles, and Frosted Cranberry is one of the best scents of the year, with a light, fruit scent that won’t overwhelm your senses. It has notes of iced cranberries, blonde woods, red apple, and tonka bean, and the three-wick design will burn for up to 45 hours. Plus, it comes in a pretty decorative jar with a striped cranberry motif that will look lovely on your mantle or kitchen counter.

If you can’t get enough of that fresh Christmas tree smell, you’ll definitely want to add Fresh Balsam to your holiday candle collection. It has a crisp, fresh scent that features notes of woodland balsam, crisp eucalyptus, fir branches, and cedarwood. This candle has an impressive throw and gives off the perfect amount of fragrance without being overwhelming, and its three-wick design burns nice and evenly so no wax goes to waste.

The Capri Blue Fir & Firewood Candle has a woody fresh scent that will make your home smell nice without being too in-your-face. This particular candle is an Anthropologie exclusive, and it comes in a pretty green fluted glass jar. As it burns, you’ll smell light and fruity notes of apple, as well as more woody scents like fir, pine needle, white birch, cedar, vetiver, and musk. It all comes together beautifully to create a fresh seasonal scent, and the smaller size burns for up to 85 hours. This means you can enjoy it long after the holidays are over, and it’s sure to become a favorite that you reach for every year.

Warm, spicy candles are another classic choice for the holidays, and the Thymes Gingerbread Candle will make your home smell like freshly baked cookies. The comforting scent has notes of gingerbread (naturally), as well as cardamom, crystallized ginger, dark vanilla, and just a little bit of cinnamon — yum! The candle comes in a pretty cookie-colored glass jar, and it’s packaged up nicely in a decorative box, just in case you want to give it as a gift this holiday season.

No fireplace? You can still enjoy the crackle of burning wood with the AEMBR Hygge Candle, which has a wooden wick. As it burns, the wick will crackle and pop, all the while releasing notes of apple cider, mulled wine, orange peel, and red currant into the air for a warm and cozy smell. The 12-ounce candle will burn for more than 50 hours, and it will make your house smell delicious every time you light it up.

This cute candle is disguised as a mercury-glass ornament — guests won’t even realize its a candle until you pop off the lid! The Illume Mercury Ornament Candle comes in several colors and scents, including a classic balsam fragrance that’s reminiscent of a freshly cut tree. It features notes of rich oak moss, cinnamon, and eucalyptus, and while the candle is small at just 6 ounces, it still offers more than 30 hours of burn time — plenty to get you through the cold winter months!