The colder months are also, for me, the candle months. My current favorite, and the one that evokes the impending winter best, is the Lafco Ski House candle from their Dream Home collection. While the 'dream home' concept has an element of gimmickry, I think Lafco is spot on with this candle. It smells just like what I would want my ski lodge to smell like, and lives up to the promise of its French name Feu de Bois, 'wood fire'. Imagine freshly chopped mountain spruce with some needles intact stacked in the fireplace, recently lit. The warm, resinous aromatics of the wood combine with elements of green spruce needles and smoke to create a realistic smell of burning wood layered with a gentle (and not too synthetic) amber sweetness that renders it all the more captivating. The effect is not unlike that of a tobacco shop; slightly smoky, slightly sweet.

These are soy-based candles in simple yet luxurious hand-blown glass, with 100% cotton wicks and a burn time of about 90 hours.

If you want the ambiance of a fireplace this season, head over to Didriks and smell this.

- Meghan