How to Scent Your Home This Season

A simple, little guide for finding that perfect seasonal home fragrance by Chandler Cat. 

It finally feels like fall here in Charleston, and this weekend I took a moment to ring in the season with one of my favorite fall recipes: homemade apple cider. Not only does it get me outside in search of fresh, local apples (pssst, Charleston locals: I found a great variety of local apples here), the recipe filled my house with the crisp aroma of fresh mountain apples and spicy cinnamon and clove. Scroll to the bottom for my favorite recipe, and let us know what you think!

The smell of freshly brewing apple cider on my kitchen stove took me back in time to playing in the crisp leaves of fall in Georgia growing up, visiting apple orchards during my adventures in Colorado, and got me thinking about some of my favorite scents for scenting my home for the holidays. Whether I’m setting the scene for a holiday gathering, or snuggling on the couch with a good book, I’ve got a few classic fragrances in my candle closet to get me through the season. Read on for my top picks, and get some tips how to select the perfect candles for your home:

Classic Balsam and Pine

First on the list is the classic seasonal fragrance, Pine, Balsam, and Fraser Fir, which I personally can’t get enough of all year round (I always go for woodsy candles). When searching the Candlefish Library or some of our other wonderful featured brands, look for woodsy notes of pine, balsam, cedar, and frasier fir.

My top picks for classic pine and fir candles:

Candlefish- No. 4, No. 52 and No. 42

Thymes - Frasier Fir

Haus Interiors - Mountain Haus

Rewined - Wine Under the Tree

 Winter Berry

Another favorite of mine is a clean winter berry, with notes of cranberry, fig, currant, and a hint of floral. There are some great berry candles out there that are less sweet and candy-like and more tart, green, and fresh...those are my favorite for this time of year. Look for sweet earthy notes of berry, currant, cranberry, and fig.

My top picks for winter berry:

Candlefish- No. 39 and No. 56

Square Trade Goods - Fig & Sage

Votivo - Red Currant Collection

Produce- Fig

Apple and Spice

My third go-to is a delicious crisp spiced apple scent, nothing too sweet, just the perfect combination of fresh apple and spice. My all time favorite candle in this family is the Rewined Spiked Cider. Seriously, I wish we could sell this candle all year long! Look for warm, spicy notes of cinnamon, clove, amber, nutmeg, apple and citrus.

My top picks for a warm, spice candle:

Candlefish- No. 2, No. 96 and No. 19

Rewined- Spiked Cider

Johnny Porter- Wiley’s Spiked Cider

Ranger Station Supply Co. - Amber and Clove

Paddywax-  Cinnamon Spice

Rewined- Syrah

So candle fans, what are YOUR favorite scents for setting the scene for a festive holiday gathering, inviting family over for a home cooked meal, or snuggling on the couch with a good book? Share your suggestions in the comments below, and be sure to have a few of these classic fragrances in your candle closet to get you through the season. 

Chandler Cat’s Homemade Apple Cider

(Rum optional and highly recommended - I go for Kraken Black Spiced Rum, add to taste)

Ingredients

• 12 Apples (I used 6 Gala and 6 Fuji)

• Peel of 1 Orange

• 4 cinnamon sticks

• 1 TBS Whole Cloves

• 1 TBS Whole Cardamom

• 1 Whole Nutmeg

• 3 TBS Brown Sugar (or your preferred sweetener)

• Water to cover

Equipment:

Large stock pot

Fine mesh strainer OR cheese cloth

Directions:

Wash the apples and chop them roughly into quarters. Peel one orange by slicing the rind off of the orange, cutting off as little of the white pulp as possible. Then place apple slices, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg into a large stock pot and cover with water.

Bring the pot to a boil on your stove on high heat, then cover and leave to simmer on med-low for about 2 hours. The apples will start to soften after about an hour, at which point you can use a potato masher or large spoon to mash the apples into a pulp (releasing more of those delicious juices.) Allow to simmer for 2-3 hours total. Cider is ready when it turns a caramel brown color (and tastes good when cooled ;).

Strain the cider into a clean pot or heat resistant container, using cheesecloth or the strainer to strain out the apple and spices. If you are feeling really adventurous, you can squeeze remaining juice out of the cheese cloth.

Enjoy hot or store in the fridge for up to 5 days!

Recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven.