"It Just Stinks with Atmosphere"

    For a Party, Christmas morning, or anytime that you want to create a special cozy feeling, consider the atmosphere that you want to create.  Nothing speaks of home, coziness, and peace like music and candlelight, and of course Christmas lights.
    Orchestral or instrumental music playing the traditional Christmas pieces are some really good options for a soothing atmosphere.  The goal is to find something that soothes and uplifts but is not intrusive; something soft that does not make conversation difficult.  Good music can also be a conversation piece.
     Candles by the score.  Use loads of them.  Just be sure to use them so that wax and flame will not cause damage.  Pillar candles are beautiful but sometimes difficult to burn because they don't burn correctly and may start to leak, causing a waxy mess.  A good way to avoid this and still use them for a cozy affect is to burn them down just enough so that a tea light can be set into the hollow. This allows you to still have the real candle look and yet helps protect you from leaking candles.  I do not recommend flame-less candles--they look cheap and are disappointing because they don't make as bright a light and are not cozy like the real thing. 
    Along with the candle light used for just plain coziness, and to  help create a lovely Christmas atmosphere, always burn good quality scented candles or scented oils.  My favorites are Yankee Candles.  These candles truly give off amazing scents and are worth the extra money they cost.  Cheap, scented candles just smell cheap and are not strong enough to make a whole room smell good, let alone a whole house.  Here is a tip for those like me, who take one look at the price of Yankee Candles and walk out of the store.  Sign up for their coupons; they often have good deals like, "Save $10 off $25."  Also be sure to catch the Semi-Annual clearance sales (Last of December and into January and also in June/July).  If you live close to one of their stores, go often to these sales, as prices and products change every few days.  I have stocked up with great deals at these sales.  If the candles are stored in a cool, dark place they will keep well for months if not longer.  Another economical trick is to buy their votive candles but cut them in half and burn them just like you would the wax tarts.  This way, there is twice as much burn time for the same price.  The wicks on the votive candles are are easy to remove. just use a table knife to pry the metal disk out of the bottom of the candle and the wick will pull out with it.
      I especially like using the wax tarts and the oils.  The oils are great for a quick, room filling scent but they may not give off scent for as long as the wax tarts.  I like the wax tarts because I feel like they give off a stronger scent than just burning one of Yankee's normal jar candles and when I want to fill a whole house with a scent; it is more economical to burn a few wax tarts then to burn enough jar candles to create the same effect.  The scent from these wax tarts will linger in the house for hours.  It is not necessary to use Yankee Tart Burners or their tea lights.  Their burners are nice and easy to work with, but not essential.  However, watch for them on clearance--it is possible to get awesome deals on them then.  Also, the cheap tea lights that are found at a craft or dollar store are just fine for burning oils and tarts--just be sure to watch them so that they remain safe.
    I find that if I am planning a get-to-gather, that it is nice to start burning the scents about an hour ahead of time so that when the guests arrive the house already is well scented.   I burn oils to get a quick start to the smells and then light tarts to continue the scent for the duration of the party.
    Pick a scent which is unique to Christmas and only burn it at Christmas time.  In this way you will always connect that scent to Christmas and it will be more special, evoking warm memories.  My personal favorites are the pine or bayberry scents (Yankee Candle Company, of course). However, there are also special Christmas scents that are spicy or like fresh baked cookies.  Since it can be pricy and overpowering to burn loads of scented candles, burn just enough of them to make your home smell "Christmas-y" and then invest in a large number of cheap craft store tea lights.  These can be found almost anywhere.  Watch for sales or coupons for craft stores or where bridal supplies can be bought and where they can be purchased in large quantities of 100.  Keep on the look out for these sales all year long.  Tea lights are always handy to have but especially, at Christmas, it is nice to have plenty.  Use them anywhere that you would normally burn a votive candle.  This way, you will save your self a whole lot of effort and mess.  Just pop the tea light into the candle holder and when it is completely burned up throw out the metal holder--no messy wax to dig out or a stubborn candle to re-light.  Hint:  Yankee Candle Company has scented tea lights that burn quite a bit longer than regular tea lights.  I use them for special occasions. You can also make tea lights into floating candles by purchasing some of Yankee Candles' clear glass floaters.

This is a pedestal glass vase or flower bowl with a glass floater in it so that I can burn tea lights as floating candles.

 Tea lights can be used in large stemmed candle holders.  For a special effect fill the bottom of the large stem ware with marbles (even add water for extra interest) and set a small, clear glass votive candle holder, found at a craft store, down into the marbles. Then place the tea light into it; this gives a dimensional, layered look as well. 

Center piece with large stemmed candle holder and votive candle holders with tea lights.  I also used acrylic "ice" in the bottom of the stemware and added a few snowflake table tossers (snowflake confetti would also work).

Other ways of getting candle light into a room is to be on the look out for any cute or unique candle holders, and use as many as possible in your decorating.

Adorable mice and old fashioned typewriter candle holder.

    If at all possible, maintain the atmosphere by using the Christmas lights and candle light only. If more light is essential, try to keep it low or use small lamps.  Add the soft, gentle music and you have a warm, inviting, peaceful setting for your guests, or just relaxing with the family.