La Montaña Candles: The Gift You'll Probably Keep

Nothing screams Christmas quite like a beautiful candle flickering away in the corner of the room (while you watch Love Actually for the 20th time of course), and we’ve found you the perfect one to cosy up with – or gift to someone special – this year.

La Montaña’s candle offering capture the fragrances of the Mediterranean and encases them in wonderful jars with nostalgic artwork that’s crying out for a mantlepiece to proudly live on.

The ‘Mistela’ is perfect for now. Inspired and named after a Valencian dessert wine, the Mistela candle features notes of raisin liqueur and spices like cinnamon, clove bud, star anise, orange and coffee. It’s a warming aroma that perfectly represents the mood of frosty British winters – when all you want to do is curl up in a big jumper and hibernate.

But, of course, we’re not all winterphiles – and if you (or your giftee) still can’t stop dreaming of warmer climes, ‘August Sunset’ might be a better choice, both figuratively and literally. This fragrance evokes memories of hazy summer evenings with floral fragrances aplenty: orange flower, rose and geranium, with a balmy touch too. It will literally transport you to dusk in a secluded Spanish location. Sounds pretty good to us…

All La Montaña candles promise a minimum of 40 hours burn, and are individually hand-poured by artisan candlemakers in the UK – featuring the finest quality mineral wax that’s sulphur- and paraben-free. They’re truly luxurious, truly beautiful, and we definitely won’t judge if you end up keeping a gift purchased one for yourself. In fact, we’ll probably be doing the same.

lamontana.co.uk From £36.