Remember that incredible Holiday candle from the Gap? It was SO good! Every year I'd rush in there are buy everything they had in the Holiday scent, both for myself and or gifts. That dark red glass was unmistakable; when you saw one in someone's home, you'd exchange a knowing glance and a little nod. It was just that good! Even staunch anti-Gappers who would be loath to enter a store for any other reason were spotted hoarding the Holiday candles.

Then things started to change at the Gap; scents like Heaven and Dream disappeared, and I think the Holiday candle went with them. Or maybe it returned under another name? I'm not sure, and neither is the internet: a few Google searches turned up lots of nostalgia but no clear opinion on whether or not the damned thing was still in production. I don't see it on the Gap website, and every other retailer has been showcasing their holiday goods for days, even weeks, now.

Anyhow, if you're missing the Gap Holiday candle this year, fear not! Here are a few options that match its greatness:

Voluspa Frost Pinecone
Part of Voluspa's Seasons collection, this candle has a bit more fresh pinetree-ness to it than Holiday, but I don't mind one bit -- it's absolutely lovely. Notes include deep rich forest cypress, crunchy spice pine needles and woody pinecone seeds. Packaging is sleek metallic silver, so elegant but still holiday festive. A grouping of them in the 5 and 10 oz sizes would look stunning on a mantel!

Frost Pinecone is available in various sizes and price points -- the 10 oz Metallic Candle ($29), 5 oz Metallic Petite Candle ($15), 12 oz Three Wick Metal Tin Candle ($18), 12 oz Three Wick Candle ($55), Room Fragrance spray ($24), and a Fragrant Oil Diffuser ($48). Available at Anthropologie, b-glowing and Nooks & Niches.

Slatkin & Co. The Perfect Christmas - Winter
Another beautiful candle in metallic silver packaging! I have the 7.3 oz filled candle in silver, and it's right at home next to the Voluspa. Makes me want to put my Christmas tree up TODAY! Notes for this one include shimmering pine, crisp bay leaf, red cinnamon and warm winter woods. The cinnamon lends some sweetness, so it's less herbal than both Holiday and Frost Pinecone.

Like most goodies from Bath & Body Works, Winter is available in a plethora of options to keep your entire home holiday-fresh, including filled candles in silver glass and detailed glass ($16.50), home fragrance oil ($7.50), room spray ($5), Wallflowers refills ($12.50), tealights ($6.50), and a reed diffuser ($19.50). Check 'em all out here. Now they just need to introduce some Scentport refills and possibly a hand soap!

Method Hollyberry
Now, this one I haven't tried (yet), but in my frantic Googling for Gap Holiday I came across a blog post from last year in which the author declared Hollyberry a dead ringer for Holiday. Check out the post here at The Fredin Family -- looks like a solid endorsement to me, from a fellow Holiday enthusiast!

In previous years the available Hollyberry goodies have included hand soap, candles, aroma sticks, "aroma pills" (refills that go in a wall diffuser), surface cleaner, and countertop cleaner. Most are still available at drugstore.com and Amazon, but I'm hoping these will get a big push at Target this holiday season so I can pick up a bundle of them! But for now, I think I'll pick up the hand soap, $3.99 at drugstore.com.