There are some things that I simply can’t resist at Christmas even though I could be described as a festive curmudgeon. I have no religious beliefs and find the commercialisation of the whole affair rather offensive. On the other hand I do always take a sneaky drive down a local road where the residents have a tendency to put it out there on the lighting front and I do rather enjoy a bit of tinsel!
Ambiance
The other decorative features that you really can’t argue with even if you are a curmudgeon are candles. There is something so entrancing about the gentle light and flickering flames of candles that they are enough to warm the cockles of your heart at any time of year. At Christmas they are positively essential if you want to create the perfect ambiance but I find myself with a dilemma.
Confusion
Said dilemma is certainly not whether to have candles or not, it is more a case of confusion about which candles. I do like a nicely fragranced home so scented candles are the way to go but what fragrance would be the best choice? Something Christmassy obviously, I wasn’t thinking of conjuring up the atmosphere of a tropical beach with the aromas of coconut and pineapple! However I can see issues with some of my preferred fragrances.
Food Avoidance
Christmas is a time when we all tend to over eat. As I am trying very hard to stick to a healthy diet and have been exercising relentlessly for weeks, I feel that filling my home with the aromas of tasty treats might be a mistake. Temptation is a fact of life during the festive season but why make things more difficult for yourself with a candle that smells of cake!
Temptation
The Our Own Candle Company specialise in candles that basically smell of anything and everything that you really shouldn’t eat! They are the perfect choice for fragrancing your home when you are showing around prospective buyers but perhaps not when you trying hard not to fall off the food wagon.
Spice is Nice
No, I think that anything which smells even vaguely of Christmas pudding, chocolate, fudge, toffee or cake of any kind will have to be rejected. But if you don’t fragrance with food then what do you do? I suppose pine is an option but then I will risk the house smelling like a toilet. I think I will have to take the middle line and opt for spices. The right spices will smell Christmassy without reminding me too much of any particular food groups and I just might be able to mask the smells resulting from my attempts at cooking up treats for my guests. These smells are likely to include burning!
Yes this year my Christmas candles will fragrance my home with the aromas of exotic spices. I will induce a riot of cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Who knows, if I burn the candles for long enough I might actually kid my stomach that I have eaten. More likely my own cooking will put me off eating anyway! What fun Christmas can be!
Article by Sally Stacey