It’s only natural to crave respite from winter’s darkness, especially amidst so much strife and uncertainty. But also… it’s the darkness we love, in addition to (and sometimes more than) the comforts we draw close around us in gloomy times. What can we say, dear reader? We’re freaks like that.

This is represented in our annual Yule/Winter celebration, which we pack with celebratory twinkles and warm glowing wonders for those who are happy to indulge in them, but also with reminders of the season’s ghostly, threadbare beauty, the otherworldly chill that envelops and threatens to overwhelm our entire reality.

After all, those who close their eyes against the darkness still find themselves immersed in it all the same. Each year we commit fully to facing those shadows, allowing them to pass through us, imprinting us with their warnings, their questions. Perhaps in doing so, we can offer our ghosts some comfort as well.

So please, let us wrap you in a thick woolen cloak of scent, and perhaps tuck a warm square of gingerbread into your pocket to carry along as you face the season’s glittering icicle teeth. Which reminds us: please don’t forget to consider our Box of Cookies, which we released ahead of this collection. This sugar cookie-themed set of fragrances raises money for our local L.A. Regional Food Bank, since we’re unable (once again) to host our customary food drive.

Last year’s Yule intro concluded with this declaration: “We truly never know what might be possible in the future, and despite everything, we still remain terribly eager to find out.” This much remains true, however many hits our optimism may have taken in 2021. This year we reach with arms outstretched toward winter’s gathering darkness, mustering the courage to embrace whatever reaches back, encouraged by the distant twinkles that show evidence of others doing the same.

In the New Year, may we all continue to be each others’ bright stars, beaming hope and camaraderie across great distances.