Whose Candle Is It Anyway?

You know how it goes: she wants a potted rose; he says, “What about that big cactus?” He wants steak; she says, “I’ve got a recipe for steamed fish!” She wants to have a party with lots of wine and close friends; he says …well, okay, sometimes they agree! But then there are candles. Unless you’re using it to test for a gas leak (Don’t try THAT at home!), a candle is definitely a woman thing: right? Not these days; thanks to Yankee Candle, they are now for everybody.

If you don’t know about Yankee Candles, you’ve clearly never been downwind of one of their shops because, believe me, you smell them before you see them: in a good way!

Yankee candles stock such a wide range that if you can’t find a scent you like there’s probably something wrong with your sense of smell. There may be a name for it, like ‘Ayankenosmia’ or something, but if not, there should be.

Women have known for years that a well-placed Yankee Candle is a godsend. Remember that curry you had yesterday? So does the house: get an iris scented candle! Did the dog wipe its rain-sodden fur on your rug? Yep: get a coconut scented candle! Are you on a diet and craving treats? Oh, yes: get a red velvet cake scented candle! Hang on …don’t! That will make things worse! But what about men? Do men want to smell irises, coconuts and red velvet cake? Probably! They’re attractive scents. But do you know what he’d rather smell? Bacon!

Hang on! Bacon? Isn’t that a smell you would want to get rid of? Not if you’re a man who likes bacon. And that’s not the only ‘Man Candle’ available; there’s the smell of freshly-cut grass, which might have the added benefit of making him get the lawn-mower out and spruce up the garden.

There’s ‘Movie Night’ which, in case you were wondering, doesn’t smell of napalm in the morning, but smells of delicious, hot, buttered popcorn and there’s the intriguingly named ‘First Down’: a combination of orange, patchouli, vetiver and leather, to call to mind a sports game. Thankfully, they didn’t include sweaty socks, which is what I can smell at a sports game! So, men of the world: scented candle, anyone?