Certain scents instantly transport me back in time.

 

It’s probably best if I gloss over the scents that take me back to shoveling endless piles of manure on the family farm, and those associated with my college days and other periods of poor decision-making. But there are others I can share:

 

• Honeysuckle? I’m right back at the old shed where my brother and I played fort.

• Fresh-cut hay? I’m up in the 110-degree hayloft emptying bales of hay off the machinery elevator and dreaming of a college career that will take me away from such a life!

• Burberry men’s cologne? That will forever be Just My Joe’s scent.

• Sausage baking in a cast iron skillet? I’m sitting with my mom at the kitchen table drinking vanilla Cokes.

• Gingerbread cookies? My grandma Stanley is once again at my side.

I have many more, but you get the point.

 

The same thing happens when I take in certain smells that I’ve come to associate with Christmas: cinnamon, cranberries, vanilla, orange, pine, nutmeg, cloves, to name a few. And when you stir them all together? The result is beyond compare.

 

Imagine giving your children a gift—poignant memories evoked by a scent—that twenty, thirty, even fifty years from now will take them back to those holidays in your home.  What an incredible blessing.

 

In a recent post, I mentioned Christmas smells as a tradition you could add to your home. Now, let’s get started on making it happen.

 

Christmas Scent #1

In a small saucepan add:

 

1 sliced orange

3 broken cinnamon sticks

1 cup fresh cranberries

2 teaspoons cloves (whole or ground)

2 teaspoons nutmeg

water to within an inch of the rim

 

Place it on the stove and simmer on low.

 

Christmas Scent #2

3 broken cinnamon sticks

2 lemon slices

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 bay leaves

6 teaspoons whole cloves

3 orange slices or 2 tablespoons orange peel

1 quart water

water to within an inch of the rim

 

Place it on the stove and simmer on low.

 

You could also experiment by adding other ingredients, such as pickling spices, pineapple pieces, and ginger.

 

Create a concoction that works for you. Better still, create your own signature scent.

 

Williams Sonoma-like Scent

 

There’s been a lot of interest on Facebook and Pinterest in the scent that Williams Sonoma uses in their stores. To replicate that incredible scent, try this…

 

In a small saucepan, add:

 

2 sliced lemons

3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons of vanilla

water to within an inch of the rim

 

Place it on the stove and simmer on low.

 

Orange and Cloves Pomander

No stove necessary on this one, and the kids will have fun making them.  For each, you’ll need:

 

Ribbon

An orange

A half cup or more of whole cloves

 

All you do is wrap the orange securely with the ribbon, so that you can hang it up (on the tree, in doorways, over the kitchen sink if that eases your concerns).  Or, forego the ribbon and opt to place your orange(s) in a bowl as the centerpiece for your table.

 

Next stick the cloves into the orange. Obviously creating a design with the cloves make it look more like an ornament, but that’s not necessary. Let your kids have fun with their designs.

 

If the orange skin is tough, poke small holes before trying to add the cloves.

 

Hang them and enjoy.

 

What about you? What scent is a staple in your home at Christmas?