1783: The Year He Went Home

The short answer: 1783 is named for the first Christmas George Washington spent at home after the Revolutionary War. He resigned his commission in Annapolis on December 23, rode hard, and made it to Mount Vernon on Christmas Eve after more than eight years away. Our 1783 candle is that room: clove, cardamom, amber, and a hint of smoke.

The year he quit

Here is the thing about 1783 that never quite gets its due. The most consequential thing Washington did that year was hand back the job.

He had commanded the Continental Army for eight and a half years. The war was won. He had an army that liked him and a country with no real government yet, which is the exact set of conditions under which, historically, generals tend to stay generals.

Instead he went to Annapolis, stood in front of Congress on December 23, and formally resigned. Then he got on a horse and went home.

Christmas Eve

Annapolis to Mount Vernon is not a casual ride, especially in late December. He pushed it, and he made it on Christmas Eve.

What we like about this is how ordinary the ending is. No ceremony at the other end. No crowd. Just a man who had been away for the better part of a decade walking into his own house in time for Christmas, presumably cold, presumably tired, and finally not responsible for a war.

That is the moment the candle is named for. Not the victory. The evening after.

The scent

1783 is the warmest thing we make, and it does not go where you expect a holiday candle to go. There is no pine, no cranberry, no gingerbread.

Clove and cardamom open it, warm and a little spiced without tipping into baking. Amber builds underneath and gives it body. A hint of smoke runs through the whole thing, and that is the note that makes it a room rather than a scent: the smell of a hearth that has been going for hours and is settling down to coals.

It is grounding rather than cheerful. Aged wood, a fire going down, and the particular quiet of a house at the end of a long day.

Best in: living rooms, dining rooms, and studies. It is the candle to light when people are coming over in December, and equally good in February when nobody is.

Two ways to bring it home

• 1783 Signature Candle, $24. Eight ounces, single wick, glass vessel.
• 1783 Heirloom Candle, $56. Eighteen ounces and three wicks in our blue and white bowl.

Browse the full Signature Collection, the Heirloom Collection, or shop all scents.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the candle called 1783? It is named for the first Christmas Washington spent at Mount Vernon after the Revolutionary War, having resigned his commission days earlier.

When did Washington resign his commission? December 23, 1783, in Annapolis. He reached Mount Vernon on Christmas Eve.

Is 1783 a Christmas candle? It is named for a Christmas, but it is not a seasonal scent. Clove, cardamom, amber, and smoke work all winter and well into spring.

What does 1783 smell like? Clove and cardamom over amber, with a hint of smoke. Warm and grounding rather than sweet.

Keep reading

More stories: Candles of Old Town Alexandria, Chef Hercules, the Cook Who Chose Freedom, who ran the kitchen at that same house, and The Blue and White Bowl.