Be a Princess With A Royal Wedding by Yankee Candle

On a summer day in 1981 my sister and I woke up far earlier than normal. We set our alarm clock and walked bleary eyed downstairs to watch the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Back then we were still young enough to daydream about fairy tales and being a princess. Amazingly, without 24-hour news channels, social media, and cell phones, we joined a global group of 750 million viewers absorbed in the wonder and spectacle that was a royal wedding. It was one of those moments in my life that I will not forget and unlike other 'remember where you were' times this event was about fantasy, fairy tales, and a shared hopefulness about the future. That sentiment was indeed the inspiration for our tribute to William and Catherine: A Royal Wedding by The Yankee Candle Company. This candle conjures up a timeless tale of young love told through a sophisticated and soothing blend of florals and subtle fruits. There's a joyful grandness about the wedding of William and Catherine with an unspoken wish that this is the happily-ever-after we signed up for all those years ago. I've set my DVR for Friday morning, it's a work and school day after all, and I plan to watch the event at my convenience. This time, I'll have my daughter by my side and with A Royal Wedding candle for ambiance we'll daydream about being Catherine just for one day.

The Limited Edition Yankee Candle A Royal Wedding is available at all Yankee Candle Company retail stores, on our website, and at gift and home stores nationwide.

Yankee Candles - Mom's Best Loved Gift!

Do you remember the first gift you gave your mother? Not something that you made or flowers you picked from the yard, but the first time you took out your allowance money to purchase something for Mom. I distinctly remember the day my father allowed me to buy something on my own to give my mother for Mother's Day. After several minutes I found the most beautiful item my 8-year-old eyes could spy: a tube of fire engine red lipstick! When my mother unwrapped it she squealed with delight, never letting on that her color preference was more in the pastel range. I think about my Mom's reaction now that I have my own 8-year-old whose taste may be a bit different than my own. To thank my mother for being such a good role model, I'm waxing sentimental with a brand new tube of fire engine red lipstick and then something she'll really love: a bouquet of Fresh Cut Roses by Yankee Candle. And, if my daughter shops with me I just may drop a not-so-subtle hint that I would really like Pink Sands™ to go along with the sky blue eye shadow that's already wrapped up for me!

For a limited time only, with each Yankee Candle jar purchase you get a second for half-price in all Yankee Candle Company retail stores and online - give one to Mom & get your favorite too!

New Limited Edition Beach Collection by Yankee Candle

The sun, the sand, cute flip-flops, salt water taffy, and searching each and every gift shop for the perfect t-shirt to remember your day at the shore … bring back memories? As a little girl I remember visiting my aunt and uncle’s motel in Beach Haven NJ, collecting sea shells, and searching for a souvenir my parents would agree to buy for me. Once we moved to Maine, the frigid waters of the North Atlantic didn’t deter us as my sisters and I vowed that the waves were fun once your legs went numb! And, of course, some of my favorite days were spent at Rocky Point Amusement Park on the Rhode Island Coast where the salt air mixed with the heady scent of clam cakes and chowder coming from the Shore Dinner Hall. While reminiscing with friends recently, it seems that everyone has vivid memories like these. Whether they visited the endless summers of Florida, the wild beauty of the Pacific coast, or a charming lake shore town like Lake George, there’s something about being by the water that makes for a carefree, casual, and fun day to remember. These were the memories that inspired four new Limited Edition beach scents by Yankee Candle: Beach Sun™, Beach Blue™, Beach Escape™, and Beach Garden™. Light one of these candles, close your eyes, and indulge in a day at the shore you won’t soon forget!

The Limited Edition Yankee Candle Beach Collection is available at all Yankee Candle Company retail stores, on our website, and at gift and home stores nationwide.

Yankee Candle Helps Make A House Smell Like a Home

I remember when I was house-hunting I would scour the weekend paper looking for Open Houses in neighborhoods I liked. Walking into someone else's house is always a bit strange and sometimes it can be difficult to imagine living there, but when the house smells like a home it can make all the difference in the world. The houses I really liked inevitably had a warm and comforting scent. Sometimes it was a baking aroma like someone just pulled a batch of cookies from the oven. Other times it was just a fresh, clean scent that made me feel like the house was well-maintained. Though the actual fragrance differed from home to home, I always found the source to be the same: a lit Yankee Candle® jar or Yankee Candle® Electric Air Freshener!

If you look at any "Top 10" list of tips for a successful real estate open house, you'll see that my experience isn't just happenstance. In fact when staging your house for a showing, giving it an appealing scent goes a long way in making it feel more like a home. This added element triggers happy thoughts and memories, ensuring that all senses are engaged in a warm and inviting way.

Yankee Candle products are available at all Yankee Candle Company retail stores, on our website, and at gift and home stores nationwide.

Daydreaming with New Orange Dreamsicle by Yankee Candle

What a day for a daydream! Having dug our way out of the 20" of snow that blew in yesterday, I am definitely dreaming of sunnier and warmer days. We New Englanders are made of a hearty stock, but days like yesterday make me truly appreciate the dog days of summer. And nothing says summer quite like a cool frosty treat. Do you remember hearing the music of the ice cream truck when you were growing up? The sound was faint at first and you didn't know whether it was on the street behind yours or if it was just around the corner. With adrenalin pumping, you ran inside to beg for money to buy a treat. Then you stood in line with the other neighborhood kids to see just what tasty treat the money in your fist would buy. Maybe, just maybe, you had enough to buy an Orange Dreamsicle: the perfect combination of effervescent orange and rich creamy vanilla. The fragrant glow of new Orange Dreamsicle by Yankee Candle whisks me away from the frozen landscape outside my window and I can wile away the rest of winter dreaming of warm summer days. Wait, I think I just heard the ice cream truck!

Find Orange Dreamsicle and up to 8 other new Yankee Candle fragrances at all Yankee Candle Company retail stores, on our website, and at gift and home stores nationwide.

Yankee Candle Scents of Christmases Past

For me, each holiday season is an opportunity for reflection and remembering. It's a time to bring out the special china and remember all the joyous family gatherings around the table. It's a time to unwrap the ornament I made in kindergarten and hang it next to the one made by my daughter when she was the same age. And, it's a time to fill my home with the aromas that I remember from my favorite Christmases from years gone by. North Pole™ makes me think of all the yummy goodies my mother would make in the days preceding Christmas. Butterball and Spritz cookies from her Swedish cookbook, fudge and candy to package up as gifts. North Pole™ has that same rich vanilla and cool mint scent as sometimes wafted from Mom's kitchen. When I light Balsam & Cedar I think of the time of my childhood when my family lived in Maine, the Pine Tree State. Walking through the woods behind our family home the gorgeous scent of balsam would surround us with each step my sisters and I would take. And Red Apple Wreath makes me think about my first "grown up" party, a tree-trimming event I threw for my sister when she moved into her first apartment. I channeled Martha Stewart by carving out apples to use as votive candle holders. Who knew that years later I would work for America's Best Loved candle company?!


Your favorite Yankee Candle fragrances are found in Yankee Candle Company retail stores and gift shops nationwide.

Have A Holiday Mixer with Yankee® Candles!

Everyone knows that the holiday season brings with it sights, sounds, and scents! My hometown is already being dressed up with evergreen garland wrapped around each light pole and I'm thinking about which fragrance will be my signature scent of the season. In addition to my traditional favorites like Christmas Eve® and Mistletoe®, I like to mix my own recipe on occasion. I may take a little fruit, add some spice, and perhaps a touch of sweetness and voila! My home smells like my mother's did on Christmas morning! On a different day, I might combine my favorite pine (like Balsam & Cedar) with a fruit such as Macintosh and I'm reminded of strolling through Sturbridge Village or Colonial Williamsburg. These unique blends become my own custom holiday fragrances. Yankee Candle calls it Fragrance Mixology, but I call it my little secret - the finishing touch that makes an ordinary event truly extraordinary!

Think about your own favorite holiday traditions: a big holiday meal, a day to bake your favorite treats, a hike in the woods to collect pinecones and boughs? Experiment with two or three different Yankee Candle scents to produce an aroma that reminds you of this special time. If you use Tarts® wax potpourri, you can break them into pieces and add a little of each into the bowl of the warmer until you get the aroma that you like. (Be careful not to add too many pieces, you don’t want melted wax to drip out of the warmer!) If you use Samplers® votive candles, you can either use several holders throughout your entertaining space or you can buy a unique clover shaped holder for just $7.99 at www.yankeecandle.com that will allow you to burn 3 votives together. Once you're a master mixologist, you could even try blending scents with non-candle forms such as warming oils, or even using a candle in one fragrance and a reed in another. The scents will mix as they waft through the air.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Frosty Air™ + Early Sunrise™ = Winter Solstice
  
• Winter Wonderland + Buttercream® + Christmas Cupcake = Marshmallow World
• Christmas At The Beach™ + Sun & Sand + Vanilla Lime® = Christmas in Key West
  

You can see that the possibilities are endless – truly limited only by your own imagination. Have fun and let me know what custom scent you create for the holiday season!

A Trip Down Memory Lane with Yankee Candle

While some may complain that store holiday décor goes up earlier each year, I must admit that I get excited when I see that first Christmas ad on TV. It automatically takes me back to my childhood when many of those commercials quickly became items on my Santa wish list. Would that be the year I found The Sunshine Family or Baby Tender Love under the tree? Or would I finally get the Easy Bake Oven all of my friends already had? Even when they weren’t toy commercials, holiday ads would catch my attention because of their whimsy and magic. Who would forget the Norelco snowman or Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales? Enter my new favorite holiday accessory from Yankee Candle: The Night Before Christmas TV Hanging Tarts® Warmer. With two enchanting little mice sitting captivated by the holiday show on television, there is something so special about this piece. It’s more than a candle accessory – it’s a glowing memory of yesteryear that’s sure to inspire new traditions!

Yankee Candle Night Before Christmas Accessories - including this $29.99 Tarts® warmer - are available on http://www.yankeecandle.com/cgi-bin/ycbvp/retail.jsp and in Yankee Candle Company retail stores nationwide.

Yankee Candle's "Scent of Your First Boyfriend" Turns 16!

I just read that actress Kate Walsh is developing a perfume she hopes will remind you of a boyfriend. The article reminded me of a favorite Yankee Candle scent. Officially described as "an intoxicating and masculine blend of musk, patchouli, sage and mahogany cologne" Midsummer's Night® by Yankee Candle is better known to its millions of fans as the "first boyfriend scent". Since its debut in 1994 Midsummer's Night® has been there for first dates and weddings and it often provides soothing comfort for the brokenhearted. It’s one of those candle scents with an unmistakably powerful aroma. I once blogged about candles that become the “scent-track” of your life in the same way that special music can become the soundtrack of your life. Midsummer’s Night® is one of those fragrances. It is the underscore for a new romance and the trigger for memories of an old flame. And like every great romance, once you experience it you will never forget it! Happy 16^th birthday Midsummer’s Night®!

Midsummer's Night® is available in candles and home fragrance products online, in Yankee Candle Company retail stores, and other fine gift shops.

My New Home Sweet Home

We bought a new house yesterday! Well, it's not "new" new, it's just new to us. We had the closing in the morning so when I picked up my daughter at school in the afternoon I asked her if she wanted to see our new house. She squealed and jumped up and down with excitement. So the three of us (my husband, daughter, and me) celebrated last night. We picked up a pizza and sat on the floor of our new and empty family room. As we ate, we burned a Home Sweet Home® Yankee Candle jar and let the scent fill the empty spaces with coziness and the promise of warm memories yet to come!

The perennial favorite, and Yankee Candle classic, Home Sweet Home® is on sale now in all Yankee Candle Company retail stores and online.

A Scented Memory

Some people remember their first day on the job because they were excited or nervous or overwhelmed. I remember my first day on the job because of the way it smelled. February 16 1993 I arrived to my new job at the Yankee Candle Company and the air was filled with a mix of whatever they were making that day. I remember it being a strong floral - maybe Country Heather - with a sweet French Vanilla twist. To this day that scent will return and it will carry me back to that moment in time. The sense of smell is amazing that way. I remember in those early years when candles were poured where our store's Candle Emporium is today, I went home smelling like the fragrance that was being made. It was a good day if the scent was something like Sage & Citrus or the refreshing MacIntosh. Look out when an overpowering citronella was being made (thank goodness we now have Conceal® to ward off mosquitoes in a much more pleasant way)! On a Midsummer's Night® day, people at the local grocery store assumed I was wearing my boyfriend's clothes. When Spiced Pumpkin was on the menu I always felt like there would be something yummy waiting for me when I got home. Our factory is just down the road apiece from where it was back then and new technology allows us to keep much more of that precious scent in the wax rather than allowing it to waft away in the air. When the atmosphere is just right, though, and our candlemakers are crafting certain scents, I get a whiff of something wonderfully familiar and I feel that same first day of work excitement again. Yankee Candle, thanks for the memories!

Yankee Candle Flagship Is a Candle Wonderland!

Far more than just a candle shop, the Yankee Candle Flagship Store in South Deerfield, MA is known as the "Mothership" to the company’s 160,000 facebook fans. For almost 30 years, candle enthusiasts have planned annual visits and weekend getaways to the site that began as a hard-working factory. Now home to 400,000 candles in more than 200 different fragrances, the flagship store is a unique, entertaining world of New England charm, fairy tale fantasies, and hands-on, interactive candlemaking that's fun for every age. With indoor snow showers each and every day, summertime is a great time to visit this candle wonderland!

Traveling through New England in the month of July? Be sure to visit the Yankee Candle Flagship Store from July 21-24 to be part of a very special event. The store will be taping a video and including as many candle fans as possible. Show up any of those mornings between 8-8:30 a.m. to participate in the video and receive a complimentary shopping discount for the store.
For more information, follow this link:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139651812718374&ref=nf

Yankee Candle Serves Up a Slice of Americana

When I close my eyes and smell Yankee Candle's new Apple Pie fragrance, I am immediately brought to another place and time. It's Nana's kitchen and I'm about 8 years old. My Nana, who just turned a youthful 97-years-old made the very best apple pie that I have ever tasted. The crust was flaky and my favorite part was when the juices from the apples mixed with sugar and spices and oozed out of the corners and crevices. How our master candle makers and fragrancers captured Nana's pie, I will never know. The only thing that's sure is that lighting this candle will always make me feel warm and happy - just like being in Nana's kitchen!

Candles for Dads

Working with candles everyday, I am often reminded that the first person to ever share with me his love for scented candles was my father. Growing up it was often a joke that when we went to Virginia's Pottery Factory as a family, my mother would browse for pots while my father loaded the trunk with candles of varying shapes and forms to bring back home. (This was, of course, in the 70's before Yankee Candle® came into my life!) In fact, my sisters and I knew that Dad was waxing nostalgic when he would light all the candles on the porch and turn on the radio to the oldies station. It's no surprise then that while others may think of candles for the women in their lives, I turn to them just as often for my Dad. So, what is an appropriate candle for a man? Of course it depends on the person and his taste in scents. Several weeks ago my father celebrated his birthday and I gave him a Conceal® mosquito blocking candle to use when he's outside gardening. As a retired Naval officer, he loved the Stars & Stripes™ candle I gave him for Memorial Day. And with Father's Day quickly approaching I'm looking to something like Sea Harbor™ or Sun & Sand® so that we can reminisce about our fun days at the beach!

Yankee Candle Helps You Show Your Stars & Stripes™ This Memorial Day!

The unofficial kick-off to the summer season is Memorial Day Weekend and if the weather is good, we'll drape the porch with bunting, hang out Ol' Glory, and light the up the grill. The great Memorial Day backyard barbecue is as American as, well, Yankee Candle!

This year, I will be proud to add a special edition Stars & Stripes™ Yankee® candle as part of my celebration. Appropriately fragranced with our famous Home Sweet Home® scent, the candle has a beautiful image of the waving flag.

Celebrating America is nothing new for our Massachusetts-based company. From annual gifts within our community, helping schools and non-profits raise needed funds through Yankee Candle® Fund-raising, and supporting our troops with exclusive products sold in all military exchanges including the Coast Guard, Marines and Veterans Canteen Services, Yankee Candle believes in being good corporate citizens. In 2009 we joined forces with AAFES in an event that touched many of our hearts. To commemorate the opening of bases in Germany and Korea we created “Send Me Home For the Holidays”, a campaign during which we were able to reunite two soldiers with their families at Christmas. It was deeply moving and we are eager to duplicate our efforts again this year.

Whether you plan to watch a parade, gather with family, or shop ‘til you drop, I hope your Memorial Day Weekend kicks off a summer filled with scent-sational memories!

What I Want for Mother's Day

For my first 37 years, Mother's Day was all about the fabulous mother figures in my life: my mom, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins and friends. All of those great women who helped to shape and form me well into my adult life. Mother's Day changed for me in 2003 when I was the one being called Mom. Each Mother's Day since has been uniquely different and even more special than the next. None of the other women have lost their importance in my world, but I now have a 7-year-old who wants to make me Queen of the Day and I am delighted to indulge her! Thankfully, Yankee Candle® makes it easy for her to treat me well. She can give me a bouquet of Fresh Cut Roses or whisk me away to an Island Spa™! We can Drift Away™ and dream of a lakeside cottage or a Beach Vacation™. She can even brew me some Hazelnut Coffee and bake scrumptious Blueberry Scones! And, it's as easy as lighting a candle and creating memories.

The very first candle made by our founder Mike Kittredge was a homemade gift for his mom and today Yankee Candles® remain a favorite gift for moms around the world.

Now through Mother's Day May 9th, get 50% off any large jar or tumbler candle with the purchase of any other large jar or tumbler candle at full price at all Yankee Candle Company retail stores and on our website.

The Secret to My Gardening Success

Several years ago, our family's garden was part of the local garden club's annual house tour. Having participated in those kinds of events as ticket-holding guests, my husband and I were certainly intimidated by the prospect wondering long and hard about whether our humble gardens would stack up against the rest. So many others had much greener thumbs and an expertise in a certain area: award-winning roses, clever raised beds, tranquil water features, etc. What could be our hook? What would make our amateur patch stand out? As I was lighting my Blue Hydrangea candle several days before the tour, inspiration struck: ours would be a highly fragrant garden! The day of the tour I methodically placed votive holders with Blue Hydrangea Samplers® candles throughout our gardens. Where it was safe to burn them (no overhanging flammable foliage) I lit them, but in most spots I let the warmth of the sun do its job dispersing the fragrance. Our garden was long-remembered as the best scented one on the tour!

Welcome Spring with Lilac Blossoms

With Lilac Blossoms, our candle makers sought to develop a scent true to that heady aroma of spring – an alluring grove of lavender, white, and deep purple lilacs. It’s a scent that reflects the enduring strength of the blossom because lilacs are as rich in symbolism as they are in fragrance. The botanical name is associated with the Greek myth of the god Pan who pursued a beautiful nymph until in desperation she transformed herself into an aromatic bush. In floral design it’s used to symbolize that first blush of love and it is the 8th wedding anniversary flower. And, in the arts, lilacs are used throughout literature, song, and design as a strong trigger to memory. Yankee Candle® Lilac Blossoms is a timeless classic and perennial best-seller – the perfect way to welcome spring!

2010 Lilac Festival Sites:
Lilac Sunday (Arnold Arboretum in Framingham MA) – May 9, 2010
Lilac Festival (Rochester, NY) - May 14-23, 2010
Mackinac Island Lilac Festival (Mackinac Island MI) - June 11-20, 2010

Traveling Back to the Sun & Sand™

Years ago Yankee Candle® had an advertising campaign that centered on the question, “Where will our scents take you?” I think of that question every time I lift the lid and smell the fragrance of our Sun & Sand™ candles. Having grown up in a Navy family, I now live farther away from the beach than I ever have in my whole life. Though the surrounding mountains and farmland are beautiful, there are many days where I find myself yearning for the coast. When I smell Sun & Sand™, I am instantly transported to the sunny shores of my youth: the hot sands of Key West, the dunes of Virginia Beach, ice-cold waters in Maine, and famous beaches of Rhode Island. I know it’s just a candle, but when I smell it I swear I can hear the seagulls and taste the salt air. Sun & Sand™ takes me back in time and place and it makes me happy. It’s the best mental vacation money can buy! Where does your favorite candle scent take you?

Scent-i-mental Journey

More than any other sense, the sense of smell evokes the most lucid memories. A quick whiff of an unexpected yet familiar smell will immediately transport you to another place and time. There’s an aroma to my daughter’s school that is in some way similar to what I remembered smelling whenever I visited my Grandmom’s house. I don’t know if it’s because the buildings are the same age, or because they’re both brick, or perhaps it’s the familiar smell of the heat as it is drawn through the old radiators. The source of the scent is really insignificant – what’s noteworthy is how it makes me feel. My daughter’s school immediately feels like it’s a safe, warm, and nurturing environment because it reminds me of that special place. Similarly, when I’m burning a Spiced Pumpkin candle I’m filled with happy memories of being newly married and in my own home for the very first time. We couldn’t afford living room furniture so Evan and I made our vacant home feel cozy with our favorite Yankee Candle scent. Whenever that scent is in the air now, I’m overcome with the same warm and happy feelings. It’s an amazing thing when one sense is so powerful that it can change your whole perspective! It's also a key element to keep in mind when you want to make a moment even more memorable.

Think of fragrance as important as music when you are planning your next occasion. You pay attention to what your guests see when they walk in the room and you script the music like it's a movie score, but its the scent that will linger in their memories for a long, long time!