Is November 1 too early for Christmas candles? I'm doing it anyway.

The try

It's the first of November, and there's a Christmas candle glowing on my side table.

I know. I know.

Set the scene with me. The room is dim and the day is done. On the table sits a small lamp with a ribbed glass shade on a slim brass stem, and right under it, in a puddle of warm light, a marbled jar in reds, oranges and greens. Next to it, a tiny Christmas village I may have unpacked a little early. The whole corner glows amber, and the room smells like the holidays showed up before they were invited.

Is November 1 too early to start decorating for Christmas? Perhaps, especially if you're into Thanksgiving, which I am. It's my favorite holiday, and we'll get into that in a later post. But I'm going to try being one of those people who decorates early for Christmas this year, and this could be premature of me.

I remember when November used to mean snow. I'm a November-born guy, so my birthday was always a bet between my folks and me about whether there would be snow or not. That's the feeling I'm chasing with this corner of the house, and today's post is about the two things helping me get there.

Candles, and a house rule

I've grown to love candles in the last three years, and I'll admit I was forced into it by my lovely wife. She got into the habit of having more candles than she was burning, so I finally told her we have to start burning the ones we have before we buy more. She agreed, thankfully. And yes, we've been burning them. We always get compliments on how nice our place smells, so that must be a dub.

Thing one: the candle warmer

The point of this post is the candle warmer. My sister suggested it, and we finally pulled the plug. It looks like a little lamp, and instead of a flame, it warms the candle from above. The wax slowly melts into a glossy pool, and the scent fills the room. After a few nights of watching it, I get why she was so sure.

It has three core benefits:

1. It's a no-flame way to burn a candle.
2. It makes your candles last WAAAAAAAAAY longer, because it burns evenly.
3. It's adjustable in strength, and it works as a lamp, giving off a nice light.

Hopefully I've convinced you, if you're into candles and candle burning.

check the warmer →

Thing two: Capri Blue Tinsel & Spice

The second thing I want to highlight is Capri Blue. My wife's and my signature home scent is Volcano, from their line. So when we spotted this at Target today, we both stopped in the aisle. Even the jar is festive: a marbled swirl of red, orange and green, with a teal lid covered in little white berry sprigs. Pretty enough to leave out on the table.

The name is Tinsel & Spice. Retailers list the core notes as juniper berry, cinnamon and clove, which sounds like exactly what a Christmas candle should be. It was an instant winner for us.

It smells so, so, so, so good. Highly recommend.

check the candle →

The pieces

• Capri Blue Tinsel & Spice candle, 19 oz (538 g). Target. $39
• Allanmen candle warmer lamp. $19.99

What I liked / what I didn't

Bottom line

A keep, for both. If you're into candles, get the warmer. And if you're ready to decorate for Christmas early, Tinsel & Spice is the one to try. Skip it only if you're not into candles.