Why We Love The Scents of Christmas – ProFlowers Blog

Ever walk by a bakery, catch a whiff of freshly baked sugar cookies and instantly feel transported to a different time and place—perhaps in your childhood kitchen with mom, baking your favorite holiday treat? Certain scents that are highly prevalent during the holiday season evoke feelings of nostalgia—the sensation of reflecting on or longing for the past and past experiences for which we have much affection. We all have likely experienced this phenomenon, but why? And why is it so frequent this time of year?

People are defined by personal experiences with family and traditions—which is why the holidays make us feel the need to be close to loved ones. Airports and train stations are packed with travelers voyaging near and far to spend the season with the people they love the most. It’s human nature to want to be connected to others—and the holidays are the perfect time to do so.

• What are the top scents of the season?
• Real, live Christmas tree
  8 in 10 Americans go for real, fresh holiday décor with 52% saying it’s because they like the smell.
• Gingerbread
  the holidays bring out the baker and the decorator in all of us, which is why decorating gingerbread cookies and houses are a tradition of the season.
• A fire in the fireplace
  snuggling up around the fireplace is a must during the cold winter months. The smell of that crackling fire and the decorations on the mantel really bring out the holiday spirit.
• Cinnamon
  among other spices, cinnamon is used in Christmas recipes, and cinnamon sticks are used in decorations, filling the home with the lovely fragrance.
• Peppermint
  with Santa giving out the traditional holiday treat, candy canes, at every corner, you can’t help but reminisce when you smell these minty delights.
• Sugar cookies
  it’s hard to resist grabbing a few sugar cookies at that Christmas gathering, especially with the sweet smell of vanilla filling the air.
• Hot cocoa – what goes hand-in-hand with those toothsome sugar cookies? The sweet, warm delectable drink, hot cocoa—which also fills the air with its delightful scent.

Surround yourself with the smells you love this holiday season, so you can think back on all your Christmas memories and traditions with fondness—and conjure up all those happy feelings again. There are so many ways to fill your home with these wonderful scents—decorate with real, live Christmas greens, light vanilla-scented candles or make this incredible Christmas potpourri, specially made to remind us of the holidays.

Source: Why We Love The Scents of Christmas – ProFlowers Blog