Holiday Home Fragrances: 5 Simple Christmas Scents
As humans, our sense of smell plays a large role in our everyday lives, and when you work from home and homeschool, the smell in your house can impact your mood, behaviour, and productivity. Learn five simple ways to use holiday home fragrances to get in a happier frame of mind this Christmas season.
Why Use Holiday Home Fragrances
Scents have the ability to change our mood, change how we interact with others, and even play a large role in our ability to recall memories. In fact, a recent Harvard study found that scent is so closely linked to memory, that people can remember a scent with 65% accuracy after one year. Visual memory, on the other hand, drops to nearly 50% after only a few months.
When we smell a scent it goes straight to the brain’s olfactory bulb, which is directly connected to the amygdala and the hippocampus. All technical terms aside, the brain often links scents with memories.
Simple holiday home fragrances such as your mom’s Christmas baking, a certain flower or a perfume can bring you right back to the memory of a favorite holiday tradition.
Use scents to get your family in the holiday mood.
#1. Holiday Essential Oil Blends
Here are a few simple holiday essential oil blends to add to your diffuser. They can get your home and family feeling Christmasy in just a few minutes.
- Pine, Sacred Mountain, Northern Lights Black Spruce
- Sweet Orange, Cinnamon, Clove Bud
- Douglas Fir, Cypress, Frankincense
- Douglas Fir, Juniper Berry, Cedarwood
#2. Scented Candles
Scented candles make your home look and smell festive and inviting for the holiday season. Placing lit candles around your homeschool room and office but out of the way of little hands. The warm glow will make rooms feel cozy and comfortable.
Not only do candles look and feel homey, they also smell great. Almost all stores sell scented candles these days, but for higher quality scents, get your candles at a store that sells candles exclusively. If you have a local candle maker near you, even better! Scents like warm vanilla, cinnamon apple, sugar plum and peppermint are some holiday favorites.
#3. Simmer Some Festive Spices
No essential oils or scented candles on hand? Hit your spice rack and your pantry. Place 1/2 cup of apple juice or orange juice in a small saucepan over low heat on the stove. Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of any mix of the following spices:
- cinnamon
- ginger
- nutmeg
- vanilla
Simmer away until you can smell it. Lovely!
#4. Add Some Fresh Greenery
Another way to use simple holiday fragrances and make your home smell amazing for is with fresh greenery.
Head outdoors for a simple family holiday outing. Gather freshly cut fir branches to create a fresh wreath for your door. If fresh trees and branches are not naturally available in your area, check with your local hardware stores. Look for some of the best smelling evergreens, which are the Scotch pine, Douglas fir, white spruce, and Noble fir trees.
#5. Bake Holiday Treats
Last, but not least, baking homemade holiday treats always keeps your home filled with sweet and savory scents.
Not only is baking and cooking seasonal treats a perfect holiday homeschool activity, but it also ensures your home smells good, naturally.
Even if you’re just warming up already-baked goodies from the supermarket or local bakery, the smell will help get you all in the holiday mood.
Do you have a favorite holiday home fragrance blend? Share in the comments below!