Spark up that festive feeling

My favourite Christmas candles are scented with pine and all things spice

I love a scented candle, particularly at this time of year. Long before any decorations go up, I will light a Christmas candle and by the simple burning of one flame evoke the best of my yuletide moods and memories. Arguments, stresses, late presents are all banished to the shade, and everything is pervaded with warmth and kindness and hope springing eternal. So if you’re looking for some similar fragrant vibes, here are my favourites (from top)…

★ tapered dining candles in grey (£20, diptyqueparis.com/en_uk) are elegant and atmospheric. The wonderful fragrance summons ideas of loved ones around the hearth – even if you live in an all-mod-cons, fireplace-free home.

★ (£49, harveynichols.com) is seriously luxey stuff housed in a case of gold with red wreath detailing. It has a fir-tree-in-the-crisp-outdoors feeling, with an uplifting element of orange added.

★ fragrance – housed in a limited-edition candle with an Emilio Pucci design (£72, acquadiparma.com) – has pine at its centre. But with warm, spicy clove added, as well as birchwood, it’s a cosier feel – more indoors with decorated trees and a roaring fire. Plus, in the true spirit of giving, a donation from each sale will go to Save the Children’s Rewrite the Future campaign.

★ ★

(£60, lessenteurs.com) delivers Christmas cheer aplenty with one strike of a match. If you consider that it translates as ‘my beautiful fir tree’ you can probably intuit the warm and welcoming wood notes that are very ‘come all ye faithful’. Fragrance fans may be interested to know that Francis Kurkdjian is also the new in-house nose at Dior.

★ (£26, spacenk.com) has become a classic festive delight. It’s a deep and enveloping mix of cinnamon, cedar and all things spice – think mulled wine and cosiness – and comes in a clear jar with a gold art-deco-style design.

★ candle is one I always come back to – but this year there’s both bad and good news. The fragrance is not making an appearance in wax form, but from tomorrow you can get it as a

(think room spray) instead (£120, fredericmalle.co.uk). For me, it’s not the same as I like a Christmas flame, but it’s still one of the best Christmassy smells out there.