Christmas Around the Corner!

It’s that time of the year again! Lights, décor, and gifting then, of course, meeting the near and dear, the excitement is in the air. While everyone’s busy decorating their houses for the guests candles are quite a thing in use for festivals and decoration and bringing the emotions of the holiday season alive. Candles can be a decorative element to almost any type of setting, both lit and unlit, and they also let scents affect mood, promote wellbeing, and foster a more cozy environment when engaging in a variety of self-care activities. Yet they have a more direct history to the seasonal festivities that we may commonly know. To know more, read Christmas Around the Corner.

How did it start using candles at Christmas or even other festivals at this time of year? A huge candle was used to symbolize the star of Bethlehem in one of the first accounts of Christmas candle use from the medieval ages. Christians have referred to Jesus as “the Light of the World” at times. Candles are frequently utilized as a decorative element to create a special atmosphere as well.

The Jewish festival at this time also celebrates light with candles being lit every day for eight days in celebration of oil found in a broken temple that should have lasted 1/2 a day but lasted 8 days. For the Hindus it is a potent representation of prosperity, hope, and enlightenment. While the Koran is occasionally referred to as “the divine candle” or “the candle/light of God. There is a reason why beeswax is commonly used to make several of these candles.

In this modern day, candles can be seen as more than just omitting a divine scent but as something that brings calm, peace, and tranquility into the home which in this day and age can be seen as a modern-day version of spiritualism. Some brands even look to utilise this in both design and chosen fragrances.

The new, opulent candle Ad Astra by SUN.DAY of London is enclosed in a cosmic, opalescent glass container. Deep oceans and nebulous skies are suggestive of the iridescent pattern. The Ad Astra candle is available in a selection of SUN.DAY’s mood-boosting scents and in two lustrous colors; Iridescent or Dusk. The candles are formulated with a blend of creamy coconut, palm-free plant wax and housed in apothecary jars which are produced in the UK with pure cotton wicks. The entire collection is designed to bring a sense of balance and tranquility.

The complete SUN.DAY of London collection is intended to infuse your house with a sense of harmony and peace. Your one-stop store for enhancing the mind and body, the exclusive combinations of pure essential oils of the highest aromatherapy grade are sure to uplift and soothe. Each item in the collection uses plants’ natural therapeutic abilities to promote quiet and comfort today’s hectic lifestyles. The entire line is completely free of chemicals, paraffins, and synthetic fragrances.

The entire collection is made by hand in East London in modest quantities. Each scent produced by the conscientious brand will only ever contain natural components. Each aroma therapeutic candle is made with a European-sourced mixture of smooth coconut and rapeseed wax. Every piece of packaging is carefully and locally selected.

In addition, 5% of sales will be given to “The Ocean Clean Up Project,” a nonprofit group that creates new technology to clean and sustain the ocean. The Ad Astra candle comes in Iridescent or Dusk, two beautiful colors, and a variety of SUN.DAY’s mood-enhancing smells.

“The ocean’s health has become increasingly important over the last decade. During our lifetime, we have witnessed its deterioration at
an alarming rate; sea life, coral and plants are becoming unviable – the result of which will sadly echo for generations to come.

-Natasha Garbawi, Founder

As a fine artist based in Hackney, East London, Natasha began to consider how she can reproduce the sensory experience of these botanicals at home after seeing firsthand the power of nature. Natasha’s family has been gathering wild plants by hand from the Macedonian mountains for generations to make therapeutic teas and treatments for a range of illnesses.

Here’s another candle collection empowering you to mix and match from a palette of carefully curated PRIMARY fragrances to create multiple fragrance combinations, or SCENT DESTINATIONS as we call them, uniquely special to you and your space. MIXMY luxury scented candle collection by Vicky Bellerby is an innovative new candle concept that enables you to play, discover and create your own library of Scent Destinations- irresistible aromas that can transport you by conjuring up a certain mood, memory, or setting.

MIXMY Primary Candle smells blend with one another to make brand-new fragrance combinations, just as how primary colors combine to make new shades.

Burn one Primary Candle to make a potent fragrant statement, or burn one Primary Candle and one MIXMY Candle together to make whole new Scent Destinations. Simply select the primary scented candles you want to light in combination depending on the fragrance notes you appreciate, and then breathe in the combined aroma; alternatively, select the scent destination you want to accomplish and burn the proper two candles to get there.

The candles can be burned together in your home, either side by side or in various locations around a room. Regardless of the size of your area, burning multiples of the same scent at once will allow you to increase the level of aroma intensity that you particularly desire. With no restrictions or guidelines, each interpretation is specifically customized to you.

“I’m excited to think of where the Primary Scented Candles take you, and hope each of the
Scent Destinations inspire a sense of fun, imagination and wanderlust. The possibilities are endless!”

-Vicky Bellerby, Founder

Some suggestions for the winter season:

No1 Soft / FloralAn intricate and enduring floralTop: Orange Blossom, Rose, Iris. Heart: Tuberose, Pink Pepper, Jasmine. Base: Musk, Benzoin, Woods
No2 Berry / GreenAn elaborate fusion of green leaf and earthy fruitsTop: Citrus Fruits. Heart: Rose, Green Leaf, Berries, Elemi. Base: Pine, Guaiacwood, Musk
No5 Wood / SmoulderA smoky blend of wood and leatherTop: Smoke. Heart: Guaiacwood, Vetiver.Base: Cedarwood, Birch Tar, Amber, Musk

Another interestingly intriguing limited edition candle by DSAND & DURGA is the Lightable Latkes. The aroma of cooking latkes is the perfume of Chanukah. Chanukah is a less significant Jewish holiday that lasts eight days starting on the 25th of Kislev (in December) and honors the Maccabees’ rededication of the Temple in 165 BC following the Syrians’ defilement of it.

This candle has the authentic, earthy scent of a Holyfield potato. The candle begins to emit a pleasant cooked-food odor as it burns. Similar to the prettiest latke frying in a sea of vibrant olive and peanut oil (a special recipe). The top notes of the fragrance are potato and etrog, a medium sized citrus fruit that has a colour and smells similar to lemon, the heart notes; black pepper and olive and the bottom notes; peanut oil and assorted tubers which as a type of plant root.

The eight days of Hanukkah are observed by families lighting one candle on the first day, two on the second (and so on), and so on after sundown while reciting prayers and singing songs. Latke, which is Yiddish for “pancake,” is a delicacy served on Chanukah to commemorate the miracle of the holiday because it is fried in oil and symbolises the miracle of extra oil found in the temple.

Here’s to introducing another extensive home fragrance range by the industry leader in scenting the home. The Parks Home Collection features all the eco-innovations; alcohol-free diffusers, 100% sustainable natural wax, and Coreless Clean Burn technology (for a long-lasting scent without sooting).

The new collection was created during the lockdown of 2020. Parks set out to build a store where every cash from customers goes solely toward achieving its “primary purpose.” The outcome? A line of home fragrances offering unmatched quality at a great price. Each candle and reed diffuser is displayed in a classy, classic style.

The wide selection of home fragrances carries on Parks’ legacy of unrivalled excellence at every price point.

”We think differently. We don’t sell candles or diffusers; we make beautifully fragranced homes. Candles, diffusers or room sprays are our
“what” but our “why”, our “mission” is making beautifully fragranced homes because we know how that makes our lives better.”

-Carl Symons, Founder of Parks

Founded in 1989, Parks is a market pioneer in natural home fragrance. The family business has produced each and every one of its goods in the UK for the past 33 years. Within the industry, Parks London is renowned for the exceptional products it produces for many well-known luxury brands, as well as it’s own.

Whilst thinking about how your home smells how about adding to the décor with a new collection of vases? Vases have occupied a unique place in human history, with most of the vase designs and use we have today being established centuries ago. Indeed, the practice of giving vases as trophies is one that dates back to Ancient Greece.

For the SICILY Collection, the creative trio of the Italian artist Ivo Bisignano, Ottolenghi, a chef, restaurateur, and award-winning cookbook author living in London, and Belgian design house Serax reunite again to introduce their second line of vibrant ceramics, which follows the wildly successful “FEAST” tableware series. The trio’s incredibly well-liked dinnerware line, “FEAST,” which debuted last year, is succeeded by the “SICILY” collection, which features four vivid ceramic vases and will be available to buy from November 20th.

The earliest civilization to use vases for ornamentation is said to have been the ancient Egyptians. In fact, the first instances of vases being used to hold flowers, as we do now, can be found in ancient Egypt. Ancient Greeks are most renowned for creating exquisite vases that could be used for both decoration and practical purposes. The Greeks used their vases for a variety of purposes, but as they learned new techniques for decorating them, they also gave them new, symbolic meanings.

Greek pottery’s numerous traditions were continued by Roman vases, however as decorative items, they were more likely to be sculpted and carved with reliefs than painted. The Roman Empire created some of the most striking and significant vases in human history by utilising these novel methods for making vases.

Ivo Bisignano, a Sicilian native with architectural training, is a multifaceted artist. His work is characterized by a profound sense of nostalgia that is applied to both real and fictional individuals and that is frequently cited in allusions to international literature and film.

Yotam Ottolenghi is the restaurateur and chef-patron of seven London-based delis and restaurants. He is the author of eight recipe books that have achieved great success, including titles like Plenty, Jerusalem, and Simple. His dedication to promoting vegetables and other ingredients that were once thought of as “foreign” has had what some refer to as “the Ottolenghi impact.”

SICILY, a set of four flamboyant vases, completes the tablescape as the ideal complement to the FEAST tableware collection and inspires an explosion of the senses. This lively collection, which drew inspiration from Bisignano’s Sicilian upbringing, is reminiscent of Sicilian alfresco dining, which is typically enjoyed while seated on balconies decorated with traditional ” Testa di Moro” (Moor’s head) ceramic pots overflowing with flowers, and it supports Ottolenghi’s manifesto of beauty, abundance, and happiness.

Similar to the FEAST series, SICILY pays homage to the culture and colours of Bisignano’s homeland while also capturing Ottolenghi’s vivacious cooking style.

The SICILY quartet includes three vases that depict fish shapes and one vase that has a face-like design. Each fish vase has a unique appearance, ranging from a long, graceful profile to a more robust structure, both of which have mouths as apertures. The shape of the animated face vase, which represents the typical “Moor’s head” that is now recognized as a distinctive Sicilian-style ornament, is similar to that of the third fish vase in that it depicts a bigger and more imposing vessel with a crown-like opening. An eclectic palette of primary and secondary colors is used to decorate all four components in this vivacious collection, resulting in an ultra-modern final product.

The Belgian design company Serax has created a platform for artists and designers by collaborating with well-known and up-and-coming designers from all over the world, including Ann Demeulemeester, Vincent Van Duysen, Paola Navone, and Piet Boon. Being a family business for more than 30 years, Serax places a high importance on workmanship and the production of items that enhance daily life. Tableware, ceramics, lighting, and accessories are just a few of the items on the list.

To know more about Ad Astra Candle, visit sundayoflondon.com.

To discover your favorite Scent Destinations, visit www.mixmyscent.com/scentdestinations.

To know more about the Lightable Latkes, visit www.dsanddurga.com/products/lightable-latkes.

To know more about the different fragrances of Parks New Home Collection Candles, visit www.parkscandles.com.

To know more about Serax, visit www.serax.com.

To know more about Ottolenghi, visit www.ottolenghi.co.uk.

If you enjoyed reading Christmas Around the Corner, why not try reading Christmas Dreams 1.

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