Glasshouse Gingerbread House: the holiday candle I wanted to roll my eyes at... then bought

I can smell the tinsel from here. Holiday launches are coming in hot, and the limited edition Gingerbread House from Glasshouse is the one I fully expected to dismiss as frosting-in-a-jar. Then I sniffed it. Twice. There’s a reason this gourmand is making otherwise cynical noses soften.

On cold sniff it opens bright and a little mischievous. The orange and caramel make a warm, candied first impression, and the almond reads more praline than bake-shop marzipan. The real hook shows up a beat later: ginger, cloves, cinnamon and a distinct crackle of black pepper that keeps the sweetness from puddling. Cedarwood slides in quietly, like a dry wooden board under a sticky loaf, giving the whole thing structure instead of syrup.

The base is textbook comfort - vanilla, tonka and amber - but there’s a bourbon-vanilla twang that feels more nightcap than cupcake. It’s still a holiday candle, yes, but the spice ratio makes it wearable for noses that usually run from “gingerbread.” If clove turns you headachy, this may not be your lane. If you like your gourmands with a little bite, it’s a cozy win.

Practical bits: the jar clocks in at 380g and it’s currently marked at $45 at Bloomingdale’s while it’s listing at $60 elsewhere. I did a quick in-store test and the throw on cold is promising without that suffocating wall of sugar. Expect the first burn to lean spicier as the pepper-ginger combo wakes up, then settle into a velvety vanilla-tonka drydown around the two-hour mark. Trim the wick short and let it pool fully on first light for an even burn - nothing kills a holiday mood like tunneling.

Verdict: Glasshouse played this smart. Gingerbread House is festive without turning your living room into a cupcake truck. It’s nostalgic, but not naive, with enough peppery backbone to feel like a holiday dinner party rather than a bake sale. If your December needs warmth with a wink, this is your candle.