Scents Of The Season: The 5 Best Christmas Smells For Home
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Have you ever walked into someone’s home at Christmas and with one breath, were instantly transported back into a childhood memory of your nana’s kitchen? If so, you know the power of scent and its strong connection to memory. For years, many believed there was such a correlation, however more recent studies have emerged to further confirm the connection between smell and memory.
Scent & Memory Connection
Studies from Boston University’s Center for Systems Neuroscience and the Harvard Museum of Natural History in collaboration with the Harvard Brain Science Initiative have found that due to the brain’s anatomy, recognition of a scent will be most closely related to the emotion and memory of the experience that is happening simultaneously. Due to the olfactory bulb (smell) sending its processes through the amygdala and hippocampus (emotion and memory), our sense of smell and distinct memories are linked (Walsh, Colleen). While many memories may appear to fade over time, the introduction of a familiar scent can cause the hippocampus to reenergize a particular memory with detail and therefore come rushing back to you unexpectedly (Benson, Kerry). Likewise, as it is the only fully developed sense a baby has within the womb, the connection of a smell with a memory begins from birth and forms quickly throughout childhood, leading many of your sharpest smell related memories to be those from your youth (Walsh, Colleen).
Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with Christmas.
With the sense of smell being such a strong connector to memory, why not fill your home with natural scents of Christmas to welcome your family, friends and guests and leave them each with a feeling of comfort and joy related to your home.
Many of these may be scents you already think of when it comes to Christmas, but look closely and you just might find a way to further integrate them into your home naturally without the use of a Glade Plug-In.
Orange & Clove
Pomanders
The combination of orange and clove is one of my absolute favorites around the Christmas season and one of the best ways to achieve this combination is through creating pomanders.
An easy craft for the whole family, gather:
- Oranges, apples or lemons
- A fork
- Whole cloves
Gently poke the fork into the skin of the fruits to make a small hole and then insert a clove spike. You can create any pattern, design or even a monogram to use throughout the house in your holiday décor. I personally love filling them in a large bowl or integrating them throughout my table centerpiece. These pomanders will last your entire Christmas season and will fill your home with the smell of sweet goodness for weeks. Do be sure to place them on a small bowl or dish after a while to prevent their juices from damaging any furniture.
Stovetop Potpourri
If creating a pomander is not up your alley, you can still infuse your home with the scent of orange and clove through a stovetop potpourri. Simply fill a small pot with some water and add in slices of orange, cloves and even a stick or two of cinnamon or rosemary if you like. Let this mixture simmer over low heat and the smell will quickly disperse throughout your home!
Cinnamon
Another wonderful natural smell of Christmas is that of cinnamon. While there are many ways to include the scent of cinnamon within your home, a favorite is that of cinnamon pinecones. Available at many retail shops or even included in many DIY recipes, cinnamon pinecones can be added to your table centerpieces, wreaths or even your Christmas tree.
Evergreen
While one of the most obvious scents of Christmas, evergreen can be included in many different ways throughout your home beyond just your Christmas tree. After trimming your tree to fit in its stand or collecting branches from a tree farm / tree lot, you can create evergreen centerpieces, wreaths, table runners and stair garlands.
If you are not a fan of having real evergreen within your home, you certainly can also add an essential oil to a diffuser to emit the smell of a fresh Christmas tree. With many essential oil options ranging from “Christmas Tree” to “Balsam Fir”, you can decide on the exact type of evergreen scent that you wish to integrate.
Gingerbread
The Christmas season would not be complete without the smell of fresh gingerbread. If you are looking for both the creation of a wonderful scent and fun memory, creating a gingerbread house with the whole family is such a fun experience that will provide many laughs, full tummies, and a home full of the warm scent of fresh gingerbread. My family has created a couple of gingerbread houses over the years and while they would never be featured at the Grove Park Inn gingerbread house exhibit, they were very fun, exceptionally tasty and smelled just heavenly. With components suitable for any age, it quickly can become an experience that all can take part in.
If a whole gingerbread house seems a little too ambitious, creating gingerbread ornaments can be equally as fun and delightfully scentful. Plus, you will get you enjoy the scent of gingerbread through these ornaments for the entire Christmas season!
Peppermint
The last natural smell of Christmas is peppermint. A favorite of many, peppermint is most easily integrated through the use of candy canes or other essential oils. Not only can you serve candy canes with hot chocolate, but you also can hang them as ornaments on your tree or hide them strategically for children to find throughout the tree / house (much like an Easter Egg Hunt). In relation to using peppermint oil, you can add it to a diffuser, create a DIY peppermint candle or even add a couple of drops on the interior of a paper towel or toilet tissue roll to encourage Christmas cheer all throughout the house.
With so many ways to integrate the scent of Christmas into your home, why not!? Each of these scents bring back distinct memories for me and remind me of the deeper moments of Christmas beyond the gifts, lights, and decorations. I hope by filling your home with the smell of Christmas, you can rediscover Christ in this Christmas season and let Him be the memory that you cherish for years to come.
Happy memory making!
Chloe
Articles
Walsh, Colleen. “How Scent, Emotion, and Memory Are Intertwined — and Exploited.” Harvard Gazette, 27 Feb. 2020, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/02/how-scent-emotion-and-memory-are-intertwined-and-exploited/.
Benson, Kerry. “It’s True, Scent Really Does Have Power Over Memory.” The Brink – Boston University, https://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/its-true-scent-really-does-have-power-over-memory/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2021.
