Adriana Ermter shares her favourite holiday scents

The Whale & The Rose team shares their cherished holiday smells and what’s on their perfume wish list.

Contributing writer Adriana Ermter’s favourite holiday scents

My favourite holiday scent is Calgary’s clear, clean, fresh, crisp and dry cold-weather smell. I love it so much because it reminds me of my family. They live out west and I’m in Toronto, but I always fly out to join them at Christmas. On New Year’s Eve, our tradition is to go ice skating on one of the frozen lakes by my sisters’ houses. Everyone comes, even my teenage nephew and niece. Outside, surrounded by the tang of fir trees and a hint of smoke from a neighbouring fireplace, we just skate—me in my laughable Bambi style, while the kids circle around us. And everything mixes together, the scents, the sounds, the emotions, making life feel simple and carefree. It’s home.

At the top of my holiday wishlist

It’s no secret that I could live and die happily in the Frederic Malle section of Barney’s New York. So naturally, I would love to have and burn his namesake and limited edition Joyeux Noel candle. Everything Frederic creates, especially when he pairs up with perfumer Dominique Ropion as he did with this candle, is pure magic.
Frederic Malle Joyeux Noel candle, $95, www.fredericmalle.com

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