I’m going to say something that will be considered controversial in the candle community today. But, I will say it nonetheless. You guys can count on me to speak my truth regardless of what the masses think. I caught myself wandering around Wal-Mart not too long ago. My wife was looking for something specific as my attention span evaporated. I ended up losing her. I drifted through the kitchen and home decor aisles when I ended up here:
Now, I’ve been here plenty of times before…but not quite recently. So, I thought, “oh yeah – forgot about the Wal-Mart candle section.” You guys know by now that I am Yankee Candle through and through. When I die, bury me in that large jar. But, standing in that aisle, looking at this majestic myriad of color, I was reminded of all the little three-wick jars that I had bought in a pinch when I didn’t have time to run to Yankee Candle. I was reminded of how well they held up and what a pleasant surprise those fragrances were. So, I decided to pick up a little single-wick jar of Starlit Skies – a little bit of sandalwood…a little bit of jasmine….some blood orange….it smelled like summertime, and it smelled like midnight. I was in.
And, it made me think….of all the big department store candles that I’ve tried, these dinky little Wal-Mart candles that cost $4 have been the only ones that I’ve come back for. Now, that little single wick won’t fill up a room, that’s for sure. It’s good for a small bathroom, or if you’re like me and you just like having a candle around to grab and randomly sniff, the fragrance is on point. But, I wouldn’t try to fill my living room with that candle. The three-wicks do a better job of that, and I won’t hesitate to light one of those in my dining room. Whichever you go with, just know that that thing is going to burn like a motherfucker. Lest we forget, “you get what you pay for.” They smell good, but man, you can burn the whole candle out in an evening or two. But, I don’t mind. The bottom line is that I like things I enjoy – who’d a thunk uh such a concept?
Next time you’re in Wal-Mart, grab one of those $4 three-wicks for your kitchen or one of the $4 single-wick jars for a bathroom. The candle community may turn their collective nose up at you, but I will not. No judgment here.
Check out the Yankee Candle archives here on SoBros Network for my extensive backlog of Yankee Candle reviews! Also, be sure to check out my comprehensive list of the top 100 Yankee Candle fragrances of all time. I worked on that thing for forever, so any read is appreciated, thank you. That is all.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, third on Football & Other F Words, co-host of The Hot Read Podcast, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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