How do you get a candle business ready for the holidays?

Start in summer. The National Candle Association says about 35 percent of candle sales happen in the Christmas and holiday season, and 76 percent of candle buyers see a candle as an appropriate holiday gift. A new holiday scent needs the same weeks of curing and burn testing as any other candle, so the testing has to be finished by early fall for stock to be poured, cured and labeled by November. Gift sets and decorated candles need their own tests, and the top days for home candle fires fall in late December, so every candle should leave with a care card. This page counts back from the date you need stock and covers what to prepare at each stage.

How big the season is

The National Candle Association's figures, last modified September 9, 2025 [1]:

• "Approximately 35% of candle sales occur during the Christmas/Holiday season."
• "Non-seasonal business accounts for approximately 65% of candle sales."
• Candle buyers "view candles as an appropriate gift for the holidays (76%)."

The NCA gives no year or survey source for these figures, so treat them as a general picture of the industry rather than a forecast for your shop. Your own sales log from last year is the better guide to how much stock you will need.

Count back from the date you need stock

Pick the date your holiday stock has to be ready: the first holiday market, the date a shop wants delivery, or the start of your online holiday sales. Then count back. The stages below use the testing pace set by named supplier instructions; your own times will be longer if a test fails.

If your stock date is mid-November, the first row falls in July or August. A scent you think of in October will not be tested in time for this season; plan it for next year or sell only candles you have already approved.

A holiday scent is a new candle

A familiar candle in a new scent is still a new combination. Supplies for Candles warns that a new fragrance oil "can completely alter burn behaviour" even when everything else stays the same [4], and GW 464's instructions say every combination of container, wax, dye, fragrance and wick should be tested [2]. Deep holiday colors add a second variable: CandleScience says "Dyed or heavily fragranced candles may require a larger wick size" than its wick guide recommends [10]. Test each one (what has to be retested when you change something).

Seasonal candles have been recalled. In August 2020, Pier 1 recalled about 30,810 three-wick Halloween candles because "The candle's high flames can ignite the surface of the wax"; it had seven reports, including one minor burn injury [5].

Gift sets and decorated candles

Gift sets sell well at the holidays, and decorations are where holiday candles add risk.

• Decorative coverings burn. In October 2005, CPSC and Wal-Mart recalled about 48,000 Holiday Time candle gift sets, including birch bark covered candles, because "The decorative covering on the candles can ignite"; there were six reports of candles catching fire [6]. Ribbon, bark, glitter, dried botanicals and labels near the flame all belong on secondary ignition before they go on a candle.
• Test the set as it will be used. If a set contains several small candles meant to burn together, test them together.
• Box and wrap with the flame in mind. Packaging that has to come off before lighting should say so (boxes, wraps and presentation).
• Label each candle, not only the box. A set gets split up; each candle should carry its own label and warning.

December fire risk and the care card

Holiday candles burn in rooms full of decorations, wrapping and visitors. ASTM Standardization News, reporting U.S. Fire Administration data for 2006 to 2010, found an average of 32 home candle fires reported per day, that 56 percent started when something that could burn was too close to the candle, that in nearly one fifth the candle was unattended or abandoned, and that "The top three days for home candle fires were Christmas, New Year's Day and Christmas Eve" [7]. Those figures are more than a decade old, and newer NFPA figures could not be confirmed in NFPA's own report, so they are not used here; the pattern is the reason a care card matters most in December.

Put a care card in every holiday candle and gift set. The NCA's consumer tips (modified August 12, 2025) give the core lines, paraphrased here [8]:

• Never leave a burning candle unattended.
• Keep candles at least 12 inches from curtains, bedding, books and anything else that can catch fire.
• Keep candles out of reach of children and pets.
• Trim the wick to 1/4 inch before each use, which NCA says prevents high flames and soot.
• Stop burning when 1/2 inch of wax remains.

For holiday cards, add a line about decorations: keep the candle away from trees, garlands and wrapping. Burn instructions to give customers has the full card.

Stock, cash and insurance in the fourth quarter

• Buy supplies early. Wax, oil and vessels you need in October should be ordered in summer, and in larger tiers if your sales log supports it.
• Plan cash for the build. You pay for materials months before holiday sales come in.
• Check your property cover. MoneyGeek notes that a fourth-quarter inventory build "can push your property needs well above what you carry the rest of the year" [9]. Tell your insurer if your stock will be much larger than usual.
• Keep the specification. Volume pressure is when shortcuts creep in: a substitute jar, a different oil lot unchecked, a shorter cure. Each one is a candle you have not tested.

Shipping in December

Carriers are at their busiest in December. Pack for the worst case, publish your own order-by dates for delivery before the holidays based on your carrier's published holiday schedule, and ship wholesale orders well before shops need them on the shelf. Shipping candles without breakage or melting covers the pack.

After the season

Write down what sold, what ran out and what did not move, by scent and size, while you still remember. That log, and the testing calendar on from first pour to first sale, is where next year's holiday plan starts.

References

1. National Candle Association, Facts & Figures, last modified September 9, 2025. https://candles.org/facts-figures/
2. Voyageur Soap & Candle, Golden Brands GW 464 Soy Container Candle Wax (product page with manufacturer's instructions), undated, read October 22, 2026. https://www.voyageursoapandcandle.com/Golden_Brands_464_Soy_Wax_p/20264.htm
3. CandleScience, How to Conduct a Burn Test, undated, read October 22, 2026. https://candlescience.com/learning/how-to-conduct-a-burn-test/
4. Supplies for Candles, The Complete Guide to Wick Testing: What Every Candle Maker Needs to Know, published February 26, 2026, modified September 2, 2026. https://www.suppliesforcandles.co.uk/the-complete-guide-to-wick-testing-what-every-candle-maker-needs-to-know/
5. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Pier 1 Recalls Three-Wick Halloween Candles Due to Fire and Burn Hazards, recall 20-169, August 19, 2020. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2020/Pier-1-Recalls-Three-Wick-Halloween-Candles-Due-to-Fire-and-Burn-Hazards
6. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC, Wal-Mart Announce Recall of Holiday Candle Gift Sets, recall 06-003, October 6, 2005. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2006/CPSC-Wal-Mart-Announce-Recall-of-Holiday-Candle-Gift-Sets
7. Doug Clauson, Increasing Candle Safety, ASTM Standardization News, March/April 2013 (posted July 26, 2016). https://www.astm.org/news/increasing-candle-safety-ma13
8. National Candle Association, Candle Safety Tips, modified August 12, 2025. https://candles.org/candle-safety/
9. MoneyGeek, Candle Maker Business Insurance Cost, updated August 31, 2026. https://www.moneygeek.com/insurance/business/candle/cost
10. CandleScience, Candle Wick (category page and Candle Wick Guide notes), undated, read October 22, 2026. https://www.candlescience.com/candle-wick