25 Christmas scents we love

By Deborah Fulsang

On this Christmas morning as I snuggle on the sofa with a flute of bubbly and watch my bambinos pour out their stockings and delight over their gifts, I would like to give thanks for all the wonderful scents of Christmas. May you also share in these 25 delightful fragrance-and-foodie-minded treats of the holidays.

1. The zesty, spicy evergreen smell of a Christmas Tree.
2. The aromas of turkey roasting in the oven.
3. Gravy. For the carnivores out there, it doesn’t get much better than a gloriously rich gravy, boasting nuances of garlic, onion, roasted vegetables.
4. Eggnog spiked with rum and nutmeg.
5. Cinnamon in roasted squash and apple pie.
6. Stuffing, steaming with notes of baked bread, apple and herbs.
7. Cranberry sauce, simmering on the stovetop with brandy and cloves.
8. The smell of good perfume on a woman’s fine leather gloves.
9. Chocolate.
10. Peppermint candy canes.
11. Nuts: salted buttery cashews, peanuts, hazelnuts and macadamias.
12. The heady sweetness of liqueur: Frangelico and Nutcello, Kahlua and Amaretto.
13. Rosemary.
14. Old Spice cologne—or feel free to substitute your chosen classic scent here—on a navy-blue men’s sweater worn by the favourite father figure in your life.
15. Vanilla in all of those cookies and squares that come but once a year.
16. Ginger, whether in a Starbucks Gingerbread Latte or in a gingerbread house.
17. Fruitcake. The dark kind that has been steeped in brandy for months.
18. Lip Smackers, in all their wonderful kid-centric colours, from Pink Lemonade to Dr. Pepper.
19. A lingering, full-course, bacon-and-eggs-and-fresh-bread-filled breakfast complete with stellar dark-roast, just-brewed coffee.
20. Clementines and oranges studded with cloves.
21. The sleepy warm skin of just-woken-up kids in flannel PJs on Christmas morning.
22. Your breath on a cold, crisp and clear snow-dusted Christmas morning.
23. Buttery shortbread.
24. Bubbles of dry, fruity champagne hitting your nose.
25. The smell of a room full of your friends and family (inherited or chosen), their signature perfumes and colognes mixing and melding together.

PHOTO: iSTOCKPHOTO