I Review Candles for a Living—Here Are My Top 10 Scents for Christmas 2025

Name: La Jolie Muse Ruby Berry Bliss Scented Candle
Brand: Amazon
Price: 23 USD

All I want for Christmas is…a Cire Trudon candle

By Sydney Meister

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Updated Oct 30, 2025

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Voluspa/Cire Trudon

The Christmas countdown is on—which for me means a month of Home Alone reruns, attempting to bake gingerbread and decking every corner of my apartment in twinkle lights. Yet there seems to be one thing that everyone overlooks when decorating their homes for the season: scent. A good candle can make your whole place feel like Christmas morning—even if your tree is fake and your cookies are store-bought. And since testing (and hoarding) candles is quite literally my job, I’ve spent the past few weeks sniffing, burning and yes, stockpiling more jars than I care to admit.

Out of the dozens I’ve tried this season, there were a few standouts (looking at you, Lafco, Cire Trudon and Otherland) which earned permanent spots in my rotation. But there were still honorable mentions from cult-favorite brands like Nest, Voluspa and of course, Bath & Body Works. So below, I’ve rounded up the best Christmas candles of the year—the ones worth striking a match for, no matter how many you already own.

Ranked: The Best Christmas Candles of 2025

Best Candle Overall

Nest New York Holiday Scented Classic Candle

$50 AT AMAZON

Best Budget Candle

Woodwick Hourglass Fireside Candle

$17 AT AMAZON

Most Splurge-Worthy Candle

Cire Trudon Nazareth Candle

$160 AT DERMSTORE

Best Fir Candle

Voluspa Woody Noble Fir Garland Candle

FROM $15 AT ANTHROPOLOGIE

Best Bourbon & Vanilla Candle

Lafco New York White Maple Bourbon Candle

$75 AT NORDSTROM

Nest New York

Best Candle Overall

1. Nest New York Holiday Scented Classic Candle

Nest New York

This is the candle that makes even a Jewish girl in Brooklyn (hey) feel like she’s starring in The Holiday. The second I light this up, my apartment smells just like Christmas: pomegranate and mandarin fizzing like champagne, pine needles layered over cloves and cinnamon, a cozy vanilla-amber base softening it all out. It’s not sugar-cookie sweet or faux-tree pine—it’s December distilled, equal parts festive and sophisticated. The gold-patterned glass also adds just enough sparkle to pass as decor, and with up to 60 hours of burn time, it lasts long enough to soundtrack every gift-wrapping marathon, tree-trimming night and, of course, the Netflix rom-com binges that inevitably follow.

Fast Facts

Scent notes: Pomegranate, mandarin orange, pine, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, amber
Burn time: Up to 60 hours

$50 AT AMAZON

$50 AT SEPHORA

Woodwick

Best Budget Candle

2. Woodwick Hourglass Fireside Candle

Woodwick

This one’s proof that you don’t need to spend $50 to make your apartment smell (and sound) like a Ralph Lauren holiday ad. Fireside reminds me of a cozy cabin—bergamot, amber, oak and smoked mahogany wrapped in musk. But the wooden wick is the trick: It burns slower and more evenly than cotton, which means no tunneling, no wax wasted. You get a wide, steady melt pool that lasts up to 100 hours—and it makes a deliciously cozy crackling sound (aka fireplace coziness without the log haul). I’ve burned $50 candles that tapped out in half the time, but this one carried me straight through the holiday season into January, without ever feeling cheap or thin.

Fast Facts

Scent notes: Bergamot, apple peel, amber, oak, smoked mahogany, vetiver, musk
Burn time: Up to 100 hours

$17 AT AMAZON

$17 AT WALMART

Cire Trudon

Most Splurge-Worthy Candle

3. Cire Trudon Nazareth Candle

Cire Trudon

There are luxury candles—and then there’s Cire Trudon. I’ve been a fan of the brand for years, but Nazareth is the one people (myself included) beg to come back every holiday season. It’s Christmas distilled into pure sophistication: clove and orange mingling like mulled wine left simmering on the stove, cut with cardamom and cinnamon so it feels spicy and tart rather than sugary-sweet. In fact, compared to last year’s Angelo candle, I found this one to be sharper, moodier—less frosting, more spice market. The vessel itself is also a work of art, hand-poured into gilded glass that catches the flame like jewelry. Does it cost as much as a week’s worth of groceries? Yes. But if you’re going to splurge on a scent, I’d say this guy is worth every penny.

Fast Facts

Scent notes: Scent notes: orange, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, myrrh, bourbon vanilla
Burn time: 55–60 hours

$160 AT DERMSTORE

$160 AT NORDSTROM

Anthropologie

Best Fir Candle

4. Voluspa Woody Noble Fir Garland Candle

Anthropologie

If you want your place to smell like you dragged a fresh fir tree up three flights of stairs (without the sap stuck to your hands), this is it. It’s just the right amount of pine and festive without veering into air-freshener territory—fir and rosemary needles snapping in the air, rounded with cedarwood and a dusting of cardamom spice. A base of cashmere musk and warm amber also makes it cozy instead of cold, more ‘holiday dinner with twinkle lights’ than ‘stranded in the forest.’ Plus, the burn times are impressive across sizes: the mini gives you 25 hours, the large stretches to 100, and the 5-wick pedestal powers through an insane 250 hours. Translation? One candle can cover your entire holiday season—even if you’re lighting it nightly to fake the smell of a real tree.

Fast Facts

Scent notes: Fir, cedarwood, cardamom spice, cashmere musk, amber
Burn time: 25 hours (mini), 100 hours (large), 250 hours (5-wick)

FROM $15 AT ANTHROPOLOGIE

$40 AT AMAZON

lafco

Best Bourbon & Vanilla Candle

5. Lafco New York White Maple Bourbon Candle

lafco

Here, the candle I light when I want my apartment to feel like a ski lodge cocktail lounge—sultry, a little boozy and wrapped in warmth. The scent opens with barrel-aged bourbon and maple wood, sweetened just enough with vanilla bean and caramel so it leans clean instead of cloying. Then, there are layers you catch as it burns: pistachio, palo santo, even a whisper of patchouli that keeps it grounded. It’s less “Yankee Candle kitchen sugar bomb” and more “buttery leather chair with a nightcap.” Burn times run long—50 hours for the classic, 90 for the signature, and a full 120 hours if you spring for the 3-wick—and because Lafco is a brand beloved by designers, the hand-blown glass looks like a piece of art glowing on the table.

Fast Facts

Scent notes: Maple, bourbon, vanilla bean, pistachio, palo santo, patchouli
Burn time: 50 hours (classic), 90 hours (signature), 120 hours (3-wick)

$75 AT NORDSTROM

FROM $18 AT LAFCO

Bath & Body Works

Best Peppermint Candle

6. Bath & Body Works Twisted Peppermint

Bath & Body Works

When I first sniffed this in-store, I half-expected my nose hairs to freeze off—but instead it delivered the perfect balance of candy-cane sharpness and vanilla-sugar coziness. Bath & Body Works has been bringing this one back every holiday season since 2006, and there’s a reason it’s a cult favorite. Think icy peppermint, sugared snow, and a whisper of balsam that smells like Candy Land: Christmas Edition. It’s like walking into a candy shop on a snowy night—refreshing without being cloying, sweet without turning syrupy. Bonus: The 14.5-ounce, 3-wick soy wax blend burns for 25 to 45 hours, so it’ll last you through the whole holiday playlist (Mariah on repeat).

Fast Facts

Scent notes: Cool peppermint, sugared snow and fresh balsam
Burn time: 24-45 hours

$28 AT BATH & BODY WORKS

Diptyque

Best Firewood Candle

7. Diptyque Feu de Bois Candle

Diptyque

Yes, I spend $48 on this candle every winter because it’s that good. Feu de Bois is the closest thing you’ll get to an actual fireplace without calling your landlord about installing a chimney—dense, smoky logs, a little resinous bite, even that faint ashiness you catch in your hair after sitting by a fire. It’s moody but elegant; kind of like a mountain chalet dressed in Parisian tailoring. Basically, the kind of elegant woodsmoke perfection that makes my whole space feel like the hearth is roaring. And with burn times stretching from 20 hours (the mini) to a decadent 90 (the oversized 20.5 oz), it’s the candle I ration, then immediately re-buy, because nothing else hits the same.

Fast Facts

Scent notes: Birch, juniper, and cade
Burn time: 20 hours (2.5 oz), 60 hours (6.5 oz), 90 hours (20.5 oz)

FROM $48 AT NORDSTROM

FROM $48 AT DIPTYQUE

Snif

Best Gingerbread Candle

8. Snif Half Baked Gingerbread Smash Candle

Snif

This is the candle that makes my apartment smell like I actually baked (without scrubbing molasses off my counters). Light it once and you get warm gingerbread straight from the oven, swirled with chai spice, nutmeg and a splash of spiked eggnog, all rounded by frothy vanilla so it’s cozy but not cloying (the sugared leather keeps it grown-up). It’s a collab with Tieghan Gerard of Half Baked Harvest fame—the queen of Instagram-worthy holiday spreads—so naturally, it feels like her kitchen bottled. Burn time ranges from 35 to 200 hours, depending on size, and the playful milk-carton packaging makes it gift-ready for White Elephant swaps.

Fast Facts

Scent notes: Baked gingerbread, chai, cinnamon swirl, nutmeg, spiked eggnog, frothy vanilla, sugared leather
Burn time: 35 hours (6 oz), 50 hours (8.5 oz), 200 hours (50 oz)

FROM $34 AT SNIF

FROM $46 AT AMAZON

Otherland

Best Cinnamon Candle

9. Otherland Cinnamon Musk Candle

Otherland

If Christmas had a grown-up, after-hours alter ego, I’d imagine it smells something like this. Instead of cinnamon sugar, you get a darker, moodier vibe—almost like slipping into someone’s cashmere sweater (the sexy, cologne-wearing kind). The Ceylon cinnamon bites like mulled wine spices, creamy almond softens the edges and amber wraps it all in a warm, musky finish. It’s festive, but in a “silk dress and spiked eggnog” way, not “Santa’s cookie plate.” The kind of candle you light on Christmas Eve once the kids are in bed and the holiday punch has officially turned into cocktails.

Fast Facts

Scent notes: Ceylon cinnamon, creamy almond, amber
Burn time: 55 hours

$20 AT OTHERLAND

Amazon

Best Berry Candle

10. La Jolie Muse Ruby Berry Bliss Scented Candle

Amazon

This is pure Christmas morning joy—the kind where cranberry jam bubbles on the stove and someone’s just sliced into a mandarin at the counter. The citrus hits first: mandarin and orange, bright like sunlight in the kitchen. But when the cranberry and pink currant came through—tart but juicy—it brings out the plum’s deeper sweetness and a base of oakmoss. Translation? It’s festive without being too sugary—more holiday compote than candy cane—and the ruby-embossed glass looks like it was made for a holiday tablescape. Definitely an under-$25 find that makes you look like you spent way more.

Fast Facts

Scent notes: Cranberry, currant, rose, mandarin, orange, grapefruit, plum and oakmoss
Burn time: 40 hours

~~$29~~; $23 AT AMAZON

Sydney Meister

Associate Lifestyle Editor

Writes across all lifestyle verticals, including relationships and sex, home, finance, fashion and beauty
More than five years of experience in editorial, including podcast production and on-camera coverage
Holds a dual degree in communications and media law and policy from Indiana University, Bloomington

read full bio

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