I’ve always loved decorating for the holidays. I vividly remember climbing up onto the roof with my dad to string Christmas lights and spending hours picking out the tallest tree at the Christmas tree farm with my family. My family has accumulated hundreds of ornaments over the years, each to pay homage to a different person, pet, vacation or time in our lives.
For the past few years, I’ve set up my own 6-foot-tall artificial tree and strung Christmas lights on the balconies of my past apartments. However, this year I’m living in a much smaller apartment so I had to forego the full-size tree for a 2 1/2 foot tall artificial tree on my kitchen counter. Though this tree and the other decorations I’ve placed throughout my apartment satisfy my decorating needs, I’ve always missed the “Christmas smell” that a real tree creates.
I’ve experimented with various candles claiming to be “holiday scents,” but none lived up to their expensive price tags. As an alternative, I decided to do some research to make my apartment smell like the holidays with herbs and spices.
Pine cone scales expand and retract based on their level of dryness.
Photo by Kira Okamoto/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paperstar/
One way to fill your home with the scent of a freshly cut Christmas tree, is to fill a decorative basket or bowl with pine cones, dried pine or fir needles and cinnamon sticks to use as a centerpiece on your coffee table. If you have pets or small children, be sure to keep the mixture out of their reach. If the aroma isn’t strong enough for you, add a drop or two of pine essential oil (Pinus sylvestris). This essential oil is also useful for relieving stress and anxiety that sometimes comes along with the holiday season. Dried orange peels and cinnamon oil make great additions to this holiday potpourri mixture as well.
For a more subtle scent, you can add pine cones and/or cinnamon sticks to your holiday wreath or garland to spread the fragrance throughout your home. Dried pine cones make great homemade ornaments as well and can distract from the plastic branches of an artificial tree.
Another great way to give your home a holiday smell is with fragrant ornaments. Check out the Lemon Verbena Lady’s recipe for Cinnamon Spice Ornaments.
What scent reminds you most of the holidays? How do you plan on making your home smell like the holidays this season? Leave a comment and let me know!
