Best candle advent calendars: for a beautifully scented home

Three images of the Candle Advent Calendars, one of the tealight in the tealight holder, one of it being held, and one of the tealight in front of the light — (Image credit: St Eval Candle Company/Cotswold Trading)

Christmas is candle season. From fresh, pine-scented fragrances that bring the winter outdoors in through to warming, spiced notes that make your home feel extra cosy, it’s the perfect time to discover your next signature scent. And what better way to do so than with a candle advent calendar?

Candle advent calendars are the indulgent little treat for you and your home and the choice is wider than you might expect, too. Some feature delicate scented tealights for an evening’s ambience, others offer miniature votives, while curated collections bring together festive favourites from multiple fragrance brands.

Whilst we have a dedicated team working on the best beauty and fragrance advent calendars, as a qualified Master Perfumer, I’ve put my nose to the test to find the best candle advent calendars for Christmas. These are my top picks for beautiful fragrance, festive charm and versatility, with options to suit different tastes, homes and budgets.

Our Favourite Candle Advent Calendars: a treat for the whole home

For tealights

St Eval

Christmas Tealight Advent Calendar

For tealights

RRP: £50 | Includes: 24 tealights and holder | Fragrance: woody, fresh, sweet, spicy, aromatic

This was a firm team favourite last year, with a delicate tealight behind every door. St Eval is the expert for delicate, natural, festive fragrances.

For mini votives

Yankee

Fragrance Lovers

For mini votives

RRP: £59.99 | Includes: 24 mini votives | Fragrance: woody, fresh, sweet, spicy, aromatic

Yankee's Advent Calendars are ones that we mark in our calendars every year. Filled with twenty four mini votives, you'll get to enjoy twelve pairs of the brand's most festive scents, from shimmering Christmas Tree, Red Apple Wreath to Bayside Cedar. It's a step up from tealights in terms of burn time and fragrance throw, without the price tag.

Range of brands

John Lewis

Scented Candle Advent Calendar

For a range of brands

RRP: £99 | Includes: 12 tealights and holder | Fragrance: woody, fresh, sweet, spicy, aromatic

A stunning advent calendar that rounds up all the very best candles on the market, this is your opportunity to enjoy some Nordic Skandinavisk, classic White Company, and natural Neom to name just a few. It's exceptional value for money.

Candle advent calendars have been growing in popularity for the past few years, but this Christmas, the choice feels bigger than ever. Diptyque’s coveted luxury candle (with this year’s launch just around the corner) and Yankee Candle’s limited-edition collections have long been festive fixtures, but now brands including Woodwick, John Lewis, Voluspa, The White Company and St Eval are making a stronger bid for a place on your shelf. And, our team has given them the highest praise.

Amongst friends and family, I have a reputation for picking the best home candles and fragrances. I light them in the evenings to create a little atmosphere or as part of my wind-down routine, so I was predisposed to love the idea. What surprised me, though, was just how much joy I got from a candle advent calendar, and how quickly that enjoyment spread to my family, too.

I know I shouldn’t have favourites, but St Eval’s calendar has a particularly special place in my heart. Cornwall holds fond memories for me, so I was delighted to discover it last Christmas. I bought one for my mum too, knowing she would love it and I received daily updates and photos of her candles glowing at home, along with her thoughts on each fragrance note. It became a little festive ritual we’ve talked about all year, eagerly anticipating the return of our daily candle moment.

Now that December is on the horizon, I’ve ordered another calendar for my mum and will be doing the same for myself and a friend with a November birthday too. It's a treat that makes your house smell delightful, so it's a gift that benefits everyone.

Over the years, we've tried lots of different advent calendars: the classic chocolate collections, the cute Bonne Maman spread calendar, but, of course, candle calendars has taken the top spot. I can't overstress how much of a treat these are to light every day. Whether you're looking for a way to explore a brand you love or for a mix of different discoveries, there's one for you. Whichever you choose, a cosy Christmas awaits.

Laura is woman&home's eCommerce editor, in charge of testing, reviewing and recommending products for your home. You'll see her testing anything from damp-banishing dehumidifiers and KitchenAid's most covetable stand mixers through to the latest in Le Creuset's cast iron collection.

Previously, she was eCommerce Editor at Homes & Gardens, and has also written for Living Etc, The White Company and local publications when she was a student at Oxford University. She is also a Master Perfumer (a qualified candle snob), SCA-Certified Barista (qualified coffee snob) and part of a family who runs a pizza business (long-time pizza snob) - all of which come in handy when you're looking for the best pieces of kit to have kitchen.