What makes a candle gift feel special? We tend to think of luxury scented candles as the ones with heavy glass and a big price. But the gift people keep is often the one that comes with a memory. Scent is very good at holding on to moments. Give someone a scent for the dark evenings before Christmas, and you may be giving them a memory too.
Why luxury scented candles are really about memory
Smell has a close link with memory. A single breath of something can take you straight back to a kitchen or a front room from years ago.
Research backs this up. In a 2006 study, researchers Willander and Larsson gave people smells, words and pictures as cues. The smells brought back older memories, most from the first ten years of life. People also said those memories made them feel more as if they were back in time.
Can a scent become linked to a person?
It often does. If a scent fills the evenings you spend with someone, it can become tied to them. Years later, the same smell may bring that time back in a rush.
Christmas fragrance candles and December rituals
December in Britain is cold and dark by about four o'clock. That makes it the season when candles get lit most often, and evening habits form. Lighting a candle with tea after work is a small ritual. Do it every night for a month and it becomes part of how that Christmas felt.
This is why a scent gift works best when it is used, not saved. Christmas fragrance candles with warm, familiar notes slot easily into those evenings.
- Christmas Shortbread: evergreen, wood fire and shortbread
- Festive Fir: pine, eucalyptus, cedar and amber
- Cinnamon Apple: stewed apple, cinnamon and citrus
A scented gift that lasts all December
A single candle gives one scent. An advent calendar gives a new one each evening. Our Advent Calendar holds 24 tealights across 12 Christmas fragrances. Each one burns for 3 to 4 hours, so every door makes an evening of its own. You never know which scent comes next, which is half the fun. Fruity scents are the biggest sellers across the Glow range, and there are plenty here.
Quick answers
Why do smells bring back memories so strongly?
Smells tend to bring back older memories than words or pictures do. A 2006 study found most smell memories came from the first ten years of life, and felt more like going back in time.
What makes a candle a good gift?
A good candle gift is one that gets lit. Pick a scent that suits the season and the person, so it becomes part of their evenings.
If you want a gift that turns into a memory, give one that gets used every night. The Glow Collection Advent Calendar opens on 1 December, with a new scent behind every door until Christmas Eve.
Related reading
- Why a Candle Fragrance Can Bring Back a Memory in Seconds: more on how scent and memory connect
- Christmas Fragrance Candles for Stir-up Sunday and Beyond: scents that belong to a British Christmas
- The Nicest Candles for Secret Santa and Small Christmas Gifts: more ideas for small Christmas gifts
