One Candle for the Season

Hello, my Darlings!

Autumn has finally arrived, and true to my nature, I am enjoying being out of the house a little more.

I have been working longer hours lately with the holiday season right around the corner. Luckily, my schedule has been more consistent, so the rhythm of my life has started to feel steadier.

Even my days off feel a little less challenging.

I am trying to stay committed to my desire to live at a slower pace, which I am learning does not necessarily mean doing less all the time. For me, it has meant learning how to properly rest, creating a realistic schedule for household chores, and making a to-do list that does not leave me feeling defeated before I even begin.

And now that autumn has arrived, I have started settling into the small rituals that make slowing down feel a little easier.

Today’s post is a continuation of a previous post I shared about my favorite summer candle. I enjoyed choosing one fragrance to represent the season so much that I decided I wanted to continue the ritual into autumn.

An Autumn Afternoon From My Bed

Today’s drink is not inspired by my candle because, surprisingly, I am not much of a pumpkin fan.

Instead, I am drinking an iced London Fog while sitting comfortably in my bed, with a cloudy September sky just beyond the window.

It feels like autumn is finally beginning to settle in.

As I write this, we are approaching the final few days of September and getting closer to my favorite month of the year: October.

The mornings are beginning to feel different. The evenings seem to arrive a little earlier. And even though the season is only getting started, I can already feel myself naturally returning to the little rituals I missed during the warmer months.

Which brings me to my candle.

I should probably explain what I mean when I say my favorite candle.

Moving forward, I have decided that these seasonal candle posts will feature only one candle.

I do not want to create a collection of ten or fifteen different candles every season simply for the sake of having them. I would much rather find one fragrance I genuinely love and allow myself to enjoy that candle throughout the season.

There is something about that idea that feels more intentional to me.

Instead of constantly searching for the next scent, the next purchase, or the next thing to bring home, I can simply enjoy what I have chosen.

And perhaps, over time, that fragrance will become part of the memory of the season itself.

For autumn, that candle is Pumpkin Bonfire from Bath & Body Works.

The Candle That Changed My Mind About Pumpkin

Now, here is where things become a little funny.

I do not like the smell of pumpkin.

At least, I thought I didn’t.

But I absolutely love the smell of this candle.

And here is something else I should probably admit: I have never eaten anything pumpkin.

I know!

No pumpkin pie. No pumpkin bread. No pumpkin spice latte.

How have I managed to love autumn this much without embracing one of its most famous flavors?

We will definitely circle back to that conversation in another post.

For now, I can at least say that Pumpkin Bonfire has changed my mind about pumpkin fragrances.

Instead of smelling overly sweet, it has a warmth and smokiness that immediately makes me think of autumn evenings. There is something cozy and familiar about it without the fragrance becoming overwhelming.

It smells like the kind of autumn I want my home to feel like.

Choosing My Autumn Scent

I also wanted choosing the candle to feel like an experience.

So I went to Bath & Body Works and smelled what felt like every autumn candle in the store.

And, my Darlings, I mean every candle.

But I did not want to simply pick up a candle, smell it for two seconds, and decide whether I liked it.

I tried to slow myself down.

With each fragrance, I closed my eyes for a moment and imagined walking through my front door after a long day at work.

How would I want my home to smell?

How would I want the fragrance to make me feel?

Would it help me leave the noise of the day behind?

Would I still enjoy smelling it several weeks from now?

Those questions helped me narrow my choices down to two: Pumpkin Bonfire and Cozy Sunday Night.

I went back and forth between them several times.

In the end, Pumpkin Bonfire came home with me.

When a Fragrance Becomes a Memory

One of the things I love most about this candle is that it reminds me of autumns from my childhood.

The fragrance somehow takes me back to elementary school.

I can remember teachers having those little potpourri pots simmering in the classroom. The fragrance would slowly fill the room, and although I probably did not think very much about it at the time, I remember what it felt like.

Autumn had a smell.

There was something warm and comforting about walking into the classroom and realizing the season had changed.

It is interesting how childhood experiences that seemed so ordinary at the time can quietly follow us into adulthood.

I did not know then that years later I would still be drawn to fragrances that remind me of those classrooms, cool mornings, changing leaves, and the anticipation of the season ahead.

I have always loved fragrances that feel familiar—scents that gently return me to another place or another chapter of my life.

Maybe that is why choosing one candle for the season feels so meaningful to me.

I am not simply choosing something that smells nice.

I am creating another memory.

A Small Ritual After a Long Day

Now that I have decided to make slower living a priority in my life, I am realizing that change does not always arrive through one big decision.

Sometimes it happens through many small ones.

Choosing to make tea instead of immediately scrolling on my phone.

Making my bed feel inviting before leaving for work.

Allowing myself a quiet evening without feeling as though I should be accomplishing something.

And choosing a candle whose fragrance tells my mind, You are home now.

The holiday season is beginning to pick up at work, which means some days will inevitably feel louder and longer than others.

But I like knowing there are small comforts waiting for me at home.

My bed.

A cup of tea.

A book.

A cloudy evening outside my window.

And now, the familiar scent of my autumn candle.

It helps me transition out of the noise of the day and return to the life I am intentionally creating for myself.

Creating My Own Version of Autumn

I think autumn—and really every season—has to become what we choose to make of it.

We do not have to recreate someone else’s version of a perfect autumn.

It does not have to mean buying an entirely new wardrobe, decorating every corner of the house, or filling a cabinet with seasonal candles.

Sometimes one candle is enough.

Candles have become one of my favorite forms of quiet luxury at home. They are available at many different price points, and I do not believe something has to be expensive to create a beautiful experience.

For me, luxury is often simply being intentional enough to notice the experience.

It is coming home after a long day and making the evening feel different from the hours that came before it.

It is allowing one familiar fragrance to become part of the season.

And perhaps, years from now, I will smell something similar to Pumpkin Bonfire and remember this particular autumn—the one where I was learning how to slow down, build better rhythms, and create a life that felt a little softer around the edges.

That alone makes this little seasonal ritual worth keeping.

What fragrance reminds you of autumn? And have you chosen a candle for the season?

Until next time,

Xo,
Georgiana