By Anna Bradshaw Staff Writer
Scents are, unknowingly to some, a large part of the holidays. Can you imagine a Christmas without pumpkin, pine, or vanilla candles? Well let me tell you, there are many more scents for Christmas time than just peppermint and cinnamon. Have you ever wondered why scents are so important at all? I mean what’s the big deal right? Well, according to Aromatherapy associates, “Scents have the power to evoke a multitude of memories and associations, and during the festive season, few scents bring Christmas to mind quite like the fresh aromas of pine needles and fir trees.”
Scents truly have impressive abilities that allow for memories to come to people and remember both fond and somber times. Another site, winterandsparrow, also talks about some common scents that incite happy memories in those who have memories tied to them. “Since many of us have memories of Christmas where there was an abundance of scents like pine trees, cookies, cozy fires, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, etc., those scents trigger positive memories which in turn, make us feel happy.”
Scents year round incite certain feelings in everyone. A fresh smelling candle may brighten up your room, a warm smelling candle may belong to the nighttime to create a cozy atmosphere. When you think of the atmosphere, typically in most people’s imaginations, there’s a lit candle in the picture somewhere. Instead of bright artificial light bulbs and LED lights, we turn to trusty rustic lanterns or candles in candle holders. Atmosphere is built by layers, layers of scents, memories, sometimes even knick knacks and trinkets. How you choose to surround yourself can often bring back memories when in a daze. Even just a quick search on the internet, phrased along the lines of “what scents make a calming environment” will lead you to results found in fruity and floral scents such as roses, lilacs, and oranges. So you see, scents aren’t just important for the holidays or just Christmas time. They can be purposeful and useful year round, but certainly around holidays is when the nostalgia hits hard.