There is just something about Yankee candles that I can't stay away from.  I buy A LOT of candles from A LOT of places and Yankee Candles are certainly more expensive than most, but I find myself going into the store anyway!  I Yankee Candle accessories and mostly buy their seasonal tart burners and candle plates, but who am I kidding?  I simply cannot go into a candle store and not sniff and ultimately walk out with something.

Carolyn picked up some holiday scents she wanted reviewed and asked if I was willing...does she really have to ask? Am I willing to burn candles and talk about them??  Heck yeah!  She sent me the candles she had chosen and I happily opened a box with Hollyberry, Christmas Berries and Holiday Bayberry then set off burning.

What Do My Yankee Candles Look Like?

My candles are the 3.7 oz. house warmer jars.  (see photo)  They are an apothecary style jar with a domed lid. Hollyberry is red, Christmas Berried is burgundy and Holiday Bayberry is green.

What Do My Yankee Candles Smell Like?

The first candle I burned was Holiday Bayberry.  I have to confess that I already knew I love the bayberry scent.  I was really excited to get this one because it reminds me of growing up.  My dad is a bayberry freak and we had a bayberry candle burning every Christmas. The very best Christmas memories I have are of watching my dad put up the lights on the tree while smelling that awesome scent, eating snowflake cookies and listening to the "Christmas Is..." album by Percy Faith.

Yankee's version is exactly what I have come to expect from a good bayberry candle.  I was recently told that there is a difference between the scent of an actual bayberry and the scent of bayberry wax so I have to say that this smells like bayberry wax and not the actual berry.  This is a traditional scent that defines Christmas to my nose and heart, and this one is right on the money.  Because this candle is so small I burned it in my master bath and the scent was perfect in that space.  If you have a larger space you will need a bigger size candle.

Hollyberry:

The next candle I burned was Hollyberry. The scent description I found for this one is:

"a softened blend of red, black, and yellow hollyberries suffused with clove."

While I don't know what holly berries smell like, I can definitely smell the clove. This scent smells like a spicy greenery scent to me, almost like a sweeter version of walking into a craft store.  I really like it and am surprised that I do. I don't usually like any scents with a "greenery" note in them, but I think the spiciness balances this one out nicely.  This is a holiday scent for sure and is a very festive smell. I burned this in the master bathroom as well because of the size. The scent strength was perfect for the space and it threw all throughout the room.

I burned Christmas Berries last because I didn't expect to like it at all.  When I popped the lid off for a cold sniff I thought, "ewww, cough syrup!" That is really what the cold scent smelled like to me. I lit this one in my guest bathroom because I was so sure I wouldn't like it and didn't want it in my room....and something happened.  While burning, this scent mellowed out and was great! The description I found is this:

"Glad tidings of Christmas joy come wrapped in the happy scent of holiday pines and festive fruits."

I don't smell pine in this one at all. It's really fruity to my nose and almost smells like fruit punch.  Not in a bad sickly sweet way though, just in a mixed red fruit way.  It's sweet and fruity and bouncy.  A real happy smell. This one was the strongest of the three and easily fragranced the small guest bath.

As with most Yankee Candles I have burned lately these had a few issues.  There was wax hang up on the jars no matter what I did.  I kept my wicks trimmed and had no trouble with smoking or soot.

Overall Opinion Of My Candles and Yankee:

Will I return to Yankee?  You betcha!  There will always be a place in my heart for these guys.  These holiday scents are perfect for setting the mood for a party or family dinner.  I really enjoyed them.

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