Yankee Candle White Christmas Wax Tart

Scrabbling around my storage jars that store some of my Yankee Candle wax tarts the other day made me pick out a candle I didn’t think I had! I assumed that all the white candles left over from my Christmas stack of Yankee scented Candles were all “Jack Frost,” until I looked a little closer and found “White Christmas” looking back up at me. I don’t know exactly where it had come from and I asked my YC Club friends if “someone” had swapped one over before a definite vote of “No” was passed around! I must have bought a couple of “Jack Frost” candle tarts without looking at each one when two out of the six I purchased turned out to be “White Christmas.”

Safety First!

It is safe to say that if you haven’t ever tried Yankee Candle, then go ahead and search for the plethora of candle reviews I’ve done, bearing this company name! For most buyers, the advent of buying a premium scented candle can work out to be expensive unless you go for different formats or varieties and whilst some brands can be limiting in the ranges of same-scent candles, Yankee Candle is an American company who know how to do marketing best – and release mostly all of their scents in different versions of candles. From votives to costly glass jars with storage lids and multi-wick tumblers to room sprays, reed diffusers and even scented powders you can slip into a cupboard, car or bagged vacuum cleaner, there’s a choice for everyone. The tart wax format is however one of the cheapest forms of sampling Yankee Candle but it can be more dangerous than the more expensive “all in one” votive candle, that is usually low on scent and thus carries the more befitting name of “Sampler,” in the U.S market. Wax tarts however need the use of a hot oil or potpourri oil burner supported either by a tea light candle, or electric means – and this fragrance in particular has turned out to be nothing like the creamy, sugary sweet minty formula that makes up the Christmas limited edition, “Jack Frost,” which isn’t a scent that will appeal to all.

In wax tart form, the hot oil or potpourri burner required needs a suitable deep concave to hold the tart in and by placing the wax tart still in its wrapper on the top of the burner is a good indication of whether your burner is going to be suitable. If the tart sits above, then the burner isn't deep enough, or if you are still persisting to use it with its shallow edge, you must slice the wax tart and use one half only. When the wrapper is disregarded (simply slide a knife under the wrapper's plastic sticker on the base and pull upwards, usually tears the plastic film in two), and the tart placed on top, a tealight candle will have to be used to get the solid wax melting into a hot oil. Even with this novel way of using hot wax, you have to maintain safety and logic at all times - and you may find that the oil burner gets hot on the base as well as the top making it unsuitable to be moved around.

After the scent will naturally begin to weaken, the best way of checking if all scent has been used up is also the best way of removing the tart. Wait for the burner to cool down completely, usually judged by an oil that has now hardened, take out tealight candle and place the burner in a fridge or freezer for a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes. After which, take out the burner, tap the top gently and turn the burner over so that the concave tart is facing the worktop. Usually a gentle tap is all that is required for the now solid wax tart to slip out. Give the base of the wax tart a sniff and if you can still smell the scent, then the wax tart still has life to give!

What Does It Smell Of?

“White Christmas” is a very strange scented candle because it isn’t very unique when comparing it to other Christmas scents that Yankee Candle produce. For a start, it doesn’t have much of an impact in terms of its base scent other than deep peppermint with menthol and sits closely to one of my favourites, “Balsam and Fir,” without the holly aspect. “White Christmas” isn’t for the faint hearted though and I was a bit taken aback at first before I put the solid, fluted wax round tablet (hence the name “tart”) into my burner, awaiting for it to turn into a hot, steaming and fragrant oil and wondering what the hell Yankee Candle have done here. Some sellers claim that YC White Christmas is supposed to have cherries and almonds – but all I can smell here is a very heady and rich menthol flavour going on.

The first tone that comes off this candle is a deep peppermint menthol. It is extremely potent and very strong, indeed if you’re not used to such a strong minty backdrop, then forget this candle straight away!

The second tone is that of bright and refreshing pine – not necessarily a good tone that I would associate Christmas with, other than a familiar smell of pine needles being sucked up a vacuum cleaner – sadly for Yankee Candle, our Christmas tree is one of those fake ones with lights stitched through them – but if you want something reminiscent of a traditional Christmas tree, then you may find it coming off this candle.

What “White Christmas,” lacks however is the sticky, fruity aspect of holly berry – replaced by strong mint, pine and a base tone of oaks and dark wood – that isn’t necessarily welcomed.

Strength & Delivery

I have been down this road before though, in terms of the scent that this candle gives off. Not only is it largely reminiscent of 2010’s Christmas scent special, “Sparkling Snow,” (itself a dead ringer for pine toilet cleaner), I find “White Christmas” hard to get along with. This is because this candle in tart form is extremely rich and extremely strong. I only burnt it for an hour before deciding enough was enough and the whole house began to smell like my toilet! Pine toilet cleaner is how I summed up “Sparkling Snow,” and sadly, “White Christmas,” is very much of the same opinion - and if the Americans sanitize their kitchens at Christmas with pine cleaner, I’ll happily let them get on with it.

The trouble is, I don’t think many American homes smell of pine though and I know from my childhood experience having a U.S naval base located in our Scottish town, most American homes smelt of “Tide washing powder” or “Cherry” or Grape Kool-Aid or even cinnamon cookies or apple pie. I doubt any American homeowner in their right mind will stink out their home at Christmas with the intoxicating scent of pine, peppermint and oak against the more favourable heart warming cherries in a pie scent, or the aura of cinnamon roasted marshmallow sweetness.

Yet, whilst this candle deserves 5 stars for its potency, it made me irritable and gave me a headache. When offered to my friends, a definite “no” came back as the response, no doubt being as popular as the ever-not-so-popular “Sparkling Snow.” “White Christmas,” at best is strong, loud, and able to mask odours straight away, especially able to eradicate that “wet dog smell,” as well as stronger cooking odours like fish or peppery food prep. Yet, I managed to get a headache induced by the pine menthol, which seems to eventually die down with the oak and peppermint once the candle wastes away. When the scent eventually dies down, “White Christmas” has a rather synthetic smell to it as well! This was a most surprising aspect as Yankee Candle make great claims about their products having “100% natural additives,” included with the oils that make up their scented candle products.

Other Formats

Being a Christmas led, marketed scent to celebrate the season, an early downside is that the scent isn’t available in all formats that other Yankee Candle products enjoy, and the prices given here are on average before Christmas 25% discounts are given. This is largely dependent on the seller, so it’s always best to check or ask!

Wax Tart (22 grams, 8 hour duration, 90p/£1.20 each.)
Votive candle (1.75 oz 15 hour duration, average price £1-75 to £2)
Small housewarmer jar candle (7 oz 25-40 hours duration, £5-99 to £8-99)
Medium housewarmer jar candle (14.05oz 60-75 hours duration, £13-99)
Medium 2 wick tumbler (12.5 oz 45-50 hours duration, £12-99)
Large housewarmer jar candle (22 oz 100-150 hours duration, £17-99)
Large 2 wick tumbler (22.7 oz 70-90 hours duration, £16-99)
Lidded glass tumbler (7oz 35-45 hours duration, £8-99)
Tea light scented candles (240 grams, 4-6 hours per candle, 12 in a box £6-99)
Aerosol Room Fragrance Spray (1.5oz, 400 spray limit £4-69 to £5-99)
Reed Diffuser (limited edition) (£11-99/£13-99 8fl. oz, 12 reeds 4-6 weeks duration.)

Final Thoughts

With its strong, exploding backdrop of menthol peppermint, pine and a hint of oak, this isn’t a candle for those who need a relaxing, understated and memorable scent that will take them back to the days of old. This is a candle scent that may blow your mind off as it pervades through the home with an alarming speed, clearing every manner of bad odour and leaving behind a fresh and minty path of pine cleaner that may not be welcomed from all quarters. It isn’t far and away from other scents that Yankee Candle produce at Christmas time either, and for that reason and its headache inducing potency, this isn’t a scented wax tart I heartily recommend, despite being able to last the 8 hours duration before dying away. For those after the scent of Christmas trees, it has to be the “Balsam and Fir,” whilst there are other Christmas scents worth seeking out that have a closer impact and a far more certain promise of what Christmas really smells like! Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2012

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