Pause for a moment and think about some of your favorite childhood memories throughout the holiday season. Can you smell your mom’s gingerbread cookies baking in the oven as you tiptoed over to the tree hoping to sneak a peek at some presents? You immediately feel warm inside just thinking about that signature smell.
Or maybe you can immediately catch a whiff of that fresh cold air on your skin as you went outside to build a snowman during the first good snowfall. Whatever the memory may be, there is usually some kind of scent associated with it because that’s often how our memories become saturated in the brain.
With all of that in mind, as much fun as it is to decorate the Christmas tree or do up the dining room table in your very best holiday linens, it can feel just as good to create special moments during the holiday season through the magic of scent. Plus, the right scent can help to lift your spirit in ways you might not expect.
Here are some of our top ideas and a hot tip: You don’t have to go crazy spending money on scented candles!
Create your own holiday spice potpourri.
Have you looked through your fancy bowl collection lately? Chances are you have a few lying around that are in dire need of some sprucing up. If you’re all about creating a natural holiday scent in your home, it’s time to feel a bit '90s and make some holiday potpourri.
To start, you can slice up some apples and oranges and dry them out in the oven for several hours. You can also get outside and grab some pinecones to add in. It’s also as simple as opening up your pantry and grabbing some cinnamon sticks, maybe some whole nutmeg, and cloves. Make sure the smell will last the entire season by throwing in a few drops of essential oils, like orange and cinnamon oil.
While you’re doing this little project, you might find that being creative in this way and smelling all of these fantastic smells together makes you feel nostalgic and cozy inside. You might feel excitement along the way to see how it will all turn out in the end. Plus, you can also feel a sense of pride for doing this holiday spice potpourri yourself and having it there for all your family and friends to smell and enjoy throughout the season.
Make your own holiday garlands and decorate them with real pine tree sprigs.
If you have a fireplace mantle or stair bannisters that you want to spruce up for the holiday season, it can be really fun and ultimately smell delicious, to make your own using real plants and tree sprigs.
If you want it to smell really natural and like you’ve brought in a few dozen Christmas trees, you can step outside and just clip some sprigs from a local pine or spruce tree. You can also gather some pine cones to use as well. If you have a nearby nursery, you can pop in and get some holly to add a nice pop of color.
Not only will this activity allow you to bring little magical moments that smell amazing to different corners of your home, but it might also feel good to bring about a sense of tradition to your home. You’ll find yourself walking by your decorated fireplace mantle that smells of pine and natural sweetness and all of a sudden your entire mood lifts. It’s actually a really beautiful gift to yourself.
Create your own holiday room spray using essential oils you already have.
We all know the magic of diffusers and how putting some lavender or sandalwood oil on can immediately make you feel more relaxed and less anxious. During the holiday season, when you turn on all of the Christmas lights and sit back on the couch with a movie, it can also feel really nice to look around and smell all of those vibrant natural scents that just smell like Christmas. This is where making your own holiday room spray comes in.
All you need is a glass spray bottle and about three ounces of distilled water. Depending on what you have on hand, you can then add either two ounces of vodka or witch hazel. Then you can get out your essential oils and just play.
If you want to use this holiday room spray in the space where you put your tree up, you can throw in several drops (approximately 15 to 20) of pine or fir essential oil. A few drops of cypress and cedarwood oil will allow for a nice warmth. And a little bit of orange essential oil and cinnamon leaf oil will add that hint of holiday sweetness that immediately makes your nose perk up.
Bake your favorite batch of cookies with your family and watch yourself warm up from the inside out.
There’s one last surefire way to allow the sweet smells of the holidays to softly billow throughout your home and that’s getting into the kitchen and baking your favorite cookies. It’s actually a win-win situation because not only will the whole house smell scrumptious, but you’re also left with a few dozen cookies to munch on.
So, what cookie actually smells the best during this special time of year? That’s a really good question because it’s all subjective and depends on your taste.
If you’re more into scents that linger in the air with the aroma of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, you can’t go wrong baking a batch of gingerbread cookies. Or if it’s sweetness with a hint of nostalgia that you enjoy, some sugar cookies will likely hit the spot.
Whatever your favorite holiday cookie scent and flavor is, it’s likely that you’ll be left with a sense of accomplishment that smells so good you have to eat it!
