How to Make Your Home Smell Like Christmas

One of the things I love most about Christmas is the smells.

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We don’t need a neuropsychologist to tell us that scents are closely linked to memory: a whiff of gingerbread or peppermint hot chocolate can bring us right back to the excitement of waking up on Christmas morning as kids.

If you're missing some holiday magic, here are 13 of my favorite scents that will bring all the Christmas feels.

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Fresh-cut evergreens

01. You don’t need to lug a full tree into your house to enjoy the wonderful scent of pine. A few clippings will do the trick just fine! Learn more

Rosemary

02. Set a little pine-shaped rosemary bush on your holiday table, slap on some decorations and you’ve got a centerpiece that doesn’t just look great, but smells fantastic as well. Learn more

Sage

03. It’s easy enough to make a small decorative sage wreath. Pop a few sprigs of rosemary in there as well and voilà: a pretty and natural Christmas scent bomb. Learn more

Peppermint

04. Candy canes! Peppermint hot chocolate! Peppermint cookies! This hybrid species of mint is an absolute holiday classic. If you’re looking for scents that make your home smell like Christmas, you can’t miss it. Learn more

Cinnamon

05. A 2009 scientific paper suggests that we actually associate cinnamon so much with winter and the holidays that we like its scent less if we smell it in summer! Learn more