Christmas is a sensory feast. Visually our eyes are assaulted with colour and sparkle, our eyes with carols and the cheesy Christmas numbers that come out every year and who can forget the magic of listening for Santa’s sleigh bells. But smells can be the most evocative, one whiff of dried fruit and spices can transport us back to Granny’s kitchen, stirring the Christmas cake and making a wish. Creating delicious aromas around the house is so easy with essential oils.
Wrapping paper, ribbon and even Christmas cards can be infused with seasonal scents. Place your items in a plastic bag, add a couple of cotton wool balls dropped with essential oils (3-4 drops), seal the bag securely and leave in a warm place for 1-3 days.
There are many rustic style decorations available these days, try adding a drop of essential oil to anything wooden, terracotta or any other porous material to scent the whole home. This technique works well with pine and other tree cones, either piled into a bowl or tied individually with ribbon. For anyone who enjoys crafts try adding essential oils to air-dry clay and creating some homemade scented decorations. Candle making kits are good fun and by adding oils to the warm candle wax before setting you can create lovely Christmas candles to keep or give as gifts.
I have three favourite Christmas blends:
Add the following drops to a small glass bottle and shake well, then use as suggested above. (Not for use on the skin).
Christmas Tree Blend- 10 drops Silver Fir, 10 drops Pine- both fir and pine have many health giving benefits including being powerful expectorants and antiseptic so vaporisation of these oils can help stop the spread of infection and clear a stuffy nose all in one go! What’s more the fresh green scent can boost the emotions by uplifting and alleviating downheartedness and negative feelings.
Mulled Wine Blend – 7 drops Cinnamon, 3 drops Clove and 10 drops Sweet Orange- this gorgeous blend really does make the mouth water but don’t be tempted to drink it, save it for filling your home with the wonderful aroma of a festive Christmas. Cinnamon and clove are both great for easing the respiratory system helping to clear head and chest colds. Aromatherapists use these oils in the treatment of depression and feelings of weakness. Sweet orange is an uplifting, cheering oil so this blend is a great stress reliever.
Star of Bethlehem Blend– my top fragrance! A blend of 10 drops Frankincense and 10 drops Myrrh this oil creates an ethereal atmosphere, its gentle scent being relaxing and calming. Both frankincense and myrrh contain a high proportion of sesquiterpenes, compounds that stimulate the part of the brain that controls emotions making this a useful blend to create an air of tranquility in an otherwise chaotic household! Some may find this blend a little too ‘churchy’ if this is the case try adding a citrus oil to the blend; good ones to try are lemon or mandarin essential oils.
However you scent your home I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas.