There’s nothing so evocative as the smell of Christmas. Even the slightest aroma of cinnamon, clove and orange in the air is enough to transport you back to festive childhood memories. Snowball fights circa 1985, happy family gatherings, burned turkey conundrums and fond memories of watching your favourite Christmas movies. It’s not only our sense of smell that’s triggered during the festive season, it all our other senses. For me, it’s the invigorating chill of a cold winter’s day, the taste of just baked gingerbread or comforting spicy heat of mulled wine. Add to that the welcome of an open fire and the glowing lights on a Christmas tree and it’s no wonder we continuously trying to recreate joyous experiences year after year. So why not makes this festive holiday a magical experience that delights the senses. Here’s 10 natural ways to make the house smell like Christmas and create moments everyone will cherish.

1. Scent your home With Christmas Candles

Scented candles are a wonderful way to make your home look and smell inviting for family and friends. Lighting candles around your home will give it that hygge vibe and the warm glow will make rooms feel cosy and comfortable. Candles not only add a touch of style capture the Christmas spirit. Try scented candles like vanilla, cinnamon apple, spiced orange and peppermint. Place them around the mantel of a fireplace, as a decorative centre piece on a dining table or outside for garden gatherings. Candles look beautiful surrounded by pine cones or some holly and ivy.

Tips: If you’re looking to buy sustainable candles for Christmas, ensure they’re parabens and paraffin free, have a cotton lead free wick for a clean burn and use natural coconut or rapeseed wax.

Christmas wreath with evergreens, pine cones, cinnamon, red berries and dried oranges — Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash

2. Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Bringing the outdoors in is another way to awaken the sense of smell and touch to your home. Use fresh greenery such as a freshly cut Christmas fir tree or some branches from an aromatic evergreen. Some of the best smelling evergreens are the Scotch pine, Douglas fir, White spruce and Noble fir. Not only will they give your home a fresh, natural, earthly scent but will give you that winter wonderland feeling. Of course a beautifully decorated Christmas wreath is the perfect front door welcome for guests and adds some festive charm to your home.

Ginger Bread cookie hanging on festive christmas tree — Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

3. Fill the house with the aroma of freshly baked treats

There’s nothing like the mouth-watering aroma of homemade treats. Whether you love mince pies, Christmas cake or gingerbread, this is a great way to make your house smell festive and inviting when you have guests around.

Tip: Gingerbread biscuit decorations make great Christmas gifts wrapped in pretty paper and look lovely hanging on the tree. Decorate with colourful icing, pop a hole in the top and hang with string or ribbon.

4. Orange and Clove Pomanders

An easy and inexpensive way of adding fragrance and colour to any room is making an orange and clove pomander. Take some firm oranges and prick them with a tooth pick or end of a wooden skewer and decorate with cloves. Tie them with ribbon or other decorative twine and place in a bowl. They normally last 3-4 days but you pop them in the fridge every night to extend their shelf life.

I love slicing oranges, drying them out and tying cinnamon sticks to them. They make gorgeous hanging decorations around the home or festive touches to food gifts for the family.

5. Stovetop pot pourri

We’re all used to using dried pot pourri but a simmering pot of spiced pourri instantly transforms your home into a Christmas wonderland. Ingredients you can use include cinnamon, rosemary, cranberries, oranges, star of anise, allspice berries, pine needles, eucalyptus and cloves. Just slice the oranges into rounds and pop all the ingredients into a large pan. Add water to cover, boil and reduce to a simmer. Stovetop simmer pots are usually kept on all day but of course to save energy, just have them ready before guests arrive for fragrant welcome.

Dried oranges, cinnamon, apple and pine cones on a grey background — Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

6. Scented pine cones for seasonal home decor

If you don’t have pine cones to hand, why not take a walk to your local park and forage for fallen pine cones. You’ll most probably find them scattered under conifer trees in parks and woodland from September to December. So what can you put on pine cones to make them smell good? Well anything you like! I use essential oils such as pine, peppermint or cinnamon. But you could use lavender for the bedroom for a relaxing aroma or refreshing citrus oils for the bathroom.

Top tips: Pine cones can contain bugs so you can soak in vinegar for an hour or pop them in the oven wrapped in foil for 30 minutes.

Depending on how strong you want them to smell, ensure you coat with enough essential oil, place in a bag for a day or two so they’re infused and use the next day. If you don’t have time (or the patience for this), just add the essential oil to a spray bottle of water and spray over the pine cones. This way you can pop them in a decorative plate and enjoy their fragrance instantly.

Two glasses of mulled wine on a silver serving tray with orange rinds — Photo by Gaby Dyson on Unsplash

7. Make mulled wine for a delicious drink that’ll warm you from the inside out

A favourite tipple during Christmas, there’s nothing like a glass of mulled wine to welcome friends and family with warming aromas of spice. But where does mulled wine from? Some say the Romans created it and others say the Greeks. Whoever it was was on to a good thing! it’s evolved over time to be enjoyed by much of Europe especially, Germany, where it’s called Gluhwein, the Czech Republic where it’s known as svařák and Sweden where it’s known as Gløgg. Whilst there are many variations of recipes some include an additional liquor or more or less sugar.

Here in the UK, mulled wine is part of the traditions that surround Christmas. I love it and it’s not Christmas unless there’s mulled wine involved! So how do you make it? Here’s a recipe that’s guaranteed to warm your cockles.

Ingredients

A bottle of red wine like Merlot, 1 large cinnamon stick, 1 -2 star anise, 4 cloves, 2 strips of lemon zest, 4 tablespoons of sugar

Pour everything into a large pan and heat up. Remove from the heat and leave aside to infuse the flavours. You can add brandy, orange rinds instead of lemon, peppercorns or raisins.

Top tip. Be careful not to boil the wine as you’ll boil away the alcohol and end up with a flat drink. Garnish with orange slices, a stick of cinnamon, star anise and couple of cranberries. Also don’t waste an expensive bottle of wine on this.

Store in the fridge for 3-4 days and be careful when reheating.

Blurred image of Christmas tree with lights with christmas tree decor in the foreground — Photo by Tessa Rampersad on Unsplash

8. Ditch the plastic tree for a real Christmas Tree

Another way to make your home smell festive is to buy a real Christmas tree. It’s always better to shop local and support forests in your local area than to buy a tree from abroad. But what is it that makes a Christmas tree smell so good? Real Christmas trees produce a sap called oleoresin and it’s the compounds in this that produce a zesty, fresh aroma we all associate with Christmas. If you haven’t got a Christmas tree yet, head over to Forestry England where they can help you choose a high quality tree that helps maintain forests for wildlife and future generations.

Dark mood photo showing lit incense stick and smoke in incense holder — Photo by petr sidorov on Unsplash

9. Engage the senses with the aroma of incense sticks

Incense has always had a spiritual connection for me. They’re lit during religious festivals, celebrations and during meditative moments. If you’re looking forward to taking it easy over Christmas, incense has a powerful way of promoting a feeling of calm and relaxation - something we’ll need after all the fun and excitement is over.

Top tip: There are so many incense sticks on the market but I love the ones by Sacred Elephant as they’re ethically handmade, non-toxic, vegan and give a clean burn

10. Make your own spiced heart shaped decorations

If you’re looking to scent certain rooms in your house, decorate the tree or add fragrance to your wardrobe, why not create your own festive scent decorations. You can make them out of upcycled sari silk bags, wool felt or cotton. I personally like wool felt as you can get creative with them. Cut two heart shaped pieces of colourful wool felt and sew the sides with an overlock stitch. Finally fill with your own signature scent of winter spices and sew together the top. Easy and a great festive fun activity for the kids to get involved in. You make all kinds of shapes like Christmas stockings, Christmas puddings, little Santas, it’s up to you!

So there you have it. A run down of 10 natural ways to make the house smell Christmassy and festive over the holidays. If you’ve got any more ideas I’d love to know.

In the meantime why not share this blog with friends and family. Sharing is caring and who knows, it might help make someone’s Christmas a little more special.

10 Natural Ways To Make Your House Smell Like Christmas This Festive Holiday Season