Few things can compete with the warmth and ambiance a lit candle creates. To me, candles bring a sense of comfort and homeyness to a space, making things feel warm and inviting. I light a candle almost everyday just before my husband comes home and we pour a glass of wine and have cheese before eating dinner. I'm not sure if other parts of the country do this or if it is strictly a Southern/ French/ New Orleans, Louisiana type of thing, all I know is this is a custom I grew up with. Every afternoon that my Dad was home (he used to work offshore a lot) my Momma would light a candle pour them each a glass of wine and they'd have cheese and crackers while playing a couple hands of Gin Rummy or Bourré (pronounced Boo-ray, a French card game similar to Poker). It was a way for them to unwind and come together as a family and a moment of stillness in an otherwise chaotic world where we can connect, much the same as it is for me and my husband.
For some reason, lighting a candle brings that nostalgia back for me; it helps me unwind and go to a simpler place and time. Your reasons for lighting a candle may be completely different, and probably are! However, I would like to share with you my favorite candles, made by Nouvelle Candle Company. Nouvelle Candles are all blended, poured and packaged by hand in a little town called Scott, located just outside of my hometown of Lafayette, in South Louisiana. Nouvelle Candle Company began in 2001 and has since become well known throughout the nation for their exotically scented candles that invoke a sense of old world charm whenever they are lit. They are the only scented candles I burn in my home, not only because they burn clean with no smoke for long periods of time, but because of the truly exotic custom blended fragrances of their candles.
Some of my favorite fragrances are:
Orange Vanilla, Sweet Olive, Mahogany & Tobacco (reminds me of sitting on the porch while my Gampi smoked his cigars when I was little), New Orleans, Pomegranate Peel & Amber, Savoir Faire, and Parterre.
My two ABSOLUTE FAVORITE SCENTS are both discontinued and when I found out I bought every candle in these scents I could find! If anyone from the Nouvelle Candle Company ever reads this- Please, Please, PLEASE reintroduce these scents! My stock is running low!!!! They are Bamboo Noir and Mandarine Amber and they are both absolutely heavenly!!!
They also have absolutely enchanting Holiday Fragrances which they usually introduce in early to mid-fall. Fireside, Mandarine Spice, Fall Festival, Fresh Cut Fir and Menthe de Chocolat (another discontinued frangrance).