Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and here at The Candle Tree we love to celebrate this romantic holiday! The day signals the end of the dark days of winter and hints towards the bright colourful days of Spring. We absolutely relish stocking up on Valentine’s gifts and we have a wonderful selection to treat loved ones. Valentine’s day has a long history of gift giving from striking women with goat’s skin to showering them with chocolates and flowers. According to historians, Valentine’s Day is a successor of the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia dating back to 300BC. Every year between February 13 and February 15, the Romans engaged in celebrations and rituals to honour the coming of spring. One of these rituals involved sacrificing a dog or a goat and using its skin to whip women, an act that was believed to increase their fertility. 

It was during the middle of the 18th century that Valentine's Day started to take off in England, with lovers sending sweets and cards adorned with flowers, ribbons and images of cupids and birds. Eventually huge numbers of printed cards replaced hand-written ones. The oldest surviving Valentine's poem was written by a prison-entrapped, pining lover: Charles, Duke of Orleans, wrote it for his wife in 1415, confined in the Tower of London after being captured at the Battle of Agincourt. In 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City began mass producing Valentine's Day cards. Now about a billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged every year and it's the second largest seasonal card sending time of the year.

Gifts For Her

Valentine's Day flowers began as a tradition in the 17th century, since roses, which represent love in all its forms, were the flowers of choice for the Day. The rose is supposed to be the favourite flower of Venus, the Goddess of Love, because it stood for strong feelings. As a result, lovers began giving flowers to those they cared about to show their love for each other, which often knew no bounds. Chocolate is also synonymous with Valentine’s day, for this we can thank Spanish explorers who brought chocolate back to the Old World from the New World in the 17th century. Soon enough the popularity increased in Europe and chocolate, possibly for its aphrodisiac effects, became the candy of choice for the lover's holiday. At The Candle Tree we have a fabulous selection of alternative gift choices from the standard flowers and chocolates. We stock a thoughtful range of self care gifts and relaxation treats to show loved ones you care. Take a look below at a few of our favourites, whether it’s gifts for him, for her or to enhance your home, we also have a wider selection online and in store at our Gloucester based shop.

Look no further for Valentine’s gift inspiration, we have bath and body products, hand cream sets by the Morris & Co, St Eval hand wash sets, Artesanales de Antigua hand cream, collections by Bloom Remedies and many more. We also sell bath accessories such as bath oils, bath creams, decorative soap dishes and bath thermometers. Tealight and votive holders compliment any bath time and are a great gift for the candle lover for Valentine’s Day. Blush Glassware  Candle. This pretty glassware candle is brought to you by Lily Flame; Blush! The first kiss of the night! This candle provides a sultry, heady scent, when dissipated into your room, it’ll bring a smile to your face. The lovely rich floral aroma is prefect for those special romantic moments in your life, celebrate and enjoy with The first kiss of the night! The candle comes complete with a glass lid, so the flame can be snuffed out neatly, preserving the burn time. Once finished, in can also be used as a beautiful, decorative storage jar.

Lotus Flower Hand Cream by Aromas Artesanales de Antigua. Nourish dry skin with Lotus Flower Hand Cream. Allow the warming and enticing aroma of lotus flower conjure an image of misty tropical rainforests; a fragrance to inspire! Luxury hand cream made using shea butter to heal and protect dry hands. This decadent 60ml hand cream will give you beautifully soft, healthy and subtly scented skin.  Presented in a classic metallic tube with vibrant label design inspired by the Antiguan landscape.

Morris & Co. Strawberry Thief Hand Care Bag. Two Shea Butter hand creams, blended with Vitamin E, Cocoa Butter, Lemon and Aloe extracts, Jojoba oil and Macadamia oil for deep, velvety, easily absorbed moisturising, enclosed within a beautifully decorated wash bag.  Infused with fragrances of rich earthy base notes of Amber, Sandalwood and Patchouli, topped with refreshing notes of red berries and bergamot on a heart of Rose for a sensory treat steeped in English history.  The wash bag is printed with a beautiful illustration depicting the thrushes that Morris found stealing fruit in his kitchen garden, bringing English Heritage to daily life. A delightful Valentine’s gift!

Radiance Organic Bath Oil with Mandarin & Bergamot. Bloom Remedies Radiance bath oil is the perfect wellbeing blend for dark days.  Whether the gloom is on the outside or inside, this uplifting and fragrant organic bath oil brings the Radiance back in. Blended with some of the finest organic essential oils to lift and enhance your spirits and mood, including Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemongrass, and Ginger.  We call this our sunshine blend, and for good reason.  It is reminiscent of a Cornish beach in the summer, or the sun breaking through the grey on a cloudy day. 100% vegan.  In a luxury frosted glass bottle with bamboo lid, it makes a perfect self care treat for your Valentine.

Gifts For Home

At The Candle Tree, we have a large selection of homewares and gifts to enhance your home. Below is a selection of our Valentine’s favourites, with lots more online and in store! Lily Flame reed diffusers, beauty scents wax melts and St Eval Dinner candles are all great ideas for making Valentine’s Day that little bit more special.  If you are in the area pop along to view our full range of homeware gifts, we are based next to Gloucester Cathedral.

Champagne & Roses Wax Melts. Champagne & Roses Scented Soy Wax Melts by Beauty Scents are a lovely addition to your home. 10 melts are packaged in a pretty pink linen bag tied with a natural string ribbon. A gorgeous Valentines gift, they contain dried flower petals and when melted produce a lovely floral rose scent. A perfect choice for Valentine’s evening!

St Eval Sensuality Candles. Candles are the perfect way to fragrance your home whilst creating an ambience, adding warmth and light to any room. These candles will help you unwind and relax. They are fragranced with our luxurious blend of nutmeg, citrus fruits & vibrant ginger. These candles have been produced by the traditional hand drawn process and have a beautiful clean burn. Enjoy a burn time of up to 10 hours per candle.     

Lily Flame Blush Reed Diffuser. Fill your home with the wonderful fragrance of this blush scented diffuser. Packaged in a pretty pink tin, it opens to reveal a glass jar with diffuser sticks, along with the essential scent. Ideal as a Valentine’s gift or to enhance your home for Valentine’s. The scent lasts up to approximately 12 weeks.

Gifts For Him

We have a variety of self care gifts for the men in your life! Choose from our selection of grooming gifts;  a moustache brush, shaving accessories, and various skincare sets. Bloom Remedies gift set is infused with natural ingredients that cleanse, refresh and renew the skin including essential oils, natural base oils and cleansing herbal extracts. The serenity luxury well being candle is a great Valentine’s gift and will bring a sense of relaxation with its natural combination of essential oils.

Bio Renewal Men's Skincare Set. This is Bloom Remedies latest gift launch, an elegantly boxed set of two favourite Men's products from the bio-renewal range. Infused with natural ingredients that cleanse, refresh and renew the skin including essential oils, natural base oils and cleansing herbal extracts.  Key ingredients are Juniper, Cedarwood, Camellia Seed oil, Seabuckthorn and Witch Hazel. Packaged in eco frosted glass and bamboo bottles, in a luxurious grey gift box with foiling detail, elegant ribbon and gift tag. Contains 1 x 50ml bottle of organic bio renewal organic face moisturiser and 1 x 100ml bottle of bio renewal organic face wash.  100% vegan and cruelty free.

Serenity Luxury Wellbeing Candle. This beautiful Serenity aromatherapy candle is infused with pure essential oils from Bloom Remedies  best selling blend to aid sleep, calm the nervous system and soothe the senses. With Ylang Ylang, Geranium, Sweet Orange, Cedarwood, Patchouli and Lavender essential oils infused in an eco Soy wax base, and finished with an FSC wooden wick that emits a gentle, comforting crackle while burning.  Free from all synthetic fragrances and toxic paraffin waxes, and packaged in a sophisticated and luxurious grey gift box, with foil detail, ribbon and gift tag.

Oiled Beechwood Moustache Shaped Brush. The unevenly cut bristles exfoliate your skin, effectively removing dead skin thus reducing itch and massaging your follicles which reduces ingrown hairs. A useful and sweet little Valentine’s gift to treat the man in your life!

Wishing you all a lovely Valentine's Day and remember it's not too late to treat yourself or a loved one! We have large range of candles, hand crafted french soaps, home fragrances, bath & body products, jewellery, creative lighting and accessories. Pop along to our treasure trove of gifts based in the heart of Gloucester, or take a look online at The Candle Tree.