12 Christmas Scents to Embrace this Season

Christmastime should be a joy for all of your senses. Celebrate the season by making your home smell like Christmas. Discover the top Christmas scents and uncover the best Christmas candles to create joyful aromas throughout the holiday season.

Peppermint

A candy cane on a table next to a jar of gingerbread.
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Peppermint smells like a Christmas village covered in snow. The icy, cool crispness of peppermint teases all your senses with a delightful tingle. It’s the perfect scent for visits to Santa, sleigh rides, and winter wonderlands.

Cinnamon

Plalte with toast sprinkled with cinnamon with cinnaman sticks and cloves. A cup of coffee sits on the table above the plate.
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The fresh warm scent of cinnamon is the perfect contrast to icy peppermint. Peppermint is for playing outside, while cinnamon reminds us of the joyful warmth we feel when we come in from the cold.

Nutmeg

A bowl of freshly ground nutmeg.
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Nutmeg gives pumpkin spice its delightful aroma. Nutmeg is rich and woody, a perfect blend of sweet and spicy that reminds you of lazily lounging with your favorite people after a delicious Christmas dinner.

Fresh Baked Cookies

Assorted Christmas cookies on a plate.
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Nothing says Christmastime like the smell of freshly baked sugar cookies wafting through the kitchen. The scent of Christmas cookies fills the air with childhood memories and the joyful faces glimpsing the perfect white box wrapped with string.

Citrus & Clove

Two glasses of mulled wine for Christmas.
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Adding a dash of clove to the refreshing springtime citrus smell transforms it into a magical Christmas aroma. Lemon and orange are ideal scents to combine with clove for a refreshingly spicy Christmas scent.

Wrapping Paper

Smiling woman holding a present as if she's about to give it to someone.
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The unique scent of paper fills the air whenever you sit to wrap Christmas presents. Wrapping paper, tape, and bows all have that office supply smell, and when combined with other Christmas scents, create an unforgettable mixture of spice and books.  As wrapping paper gets tossed about the floor on Christmas day, the entire house smells like a bookstore bathed in Christmas.

Gingerbread

An assortment of gingerbread cookies.
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Gingerbread combines a variety of Christmas flavors into a deliciously sweet and spicy treat. The fragrant aroma of gingerbread includes hints of ginger, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar perfectly blended to fill the air with happiness and warmth. 

Roasted Chestnuts

Chestnuts roasting in a pan over the fire.
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Chestnuts roasting on an open fire represented Christmas long before Nat King Cole sang of their charm. The nutty aroma includes sweet hints of fruit as they roast over the fire or in the oven.

Baked Ham

A platter of roast ham sliced and ready to be served.
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Christmas dinner often includes a succulent baked ham as the main course. The mouthwatering scent of tender ham drenched in brown sugar and clove permeates the air for hours before the feast, making stomachs throughout the house rumble in anticipation.

Hot Chocolate

Cup of hot chocolate with a peppermint candy cane in it.
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Warm, rich, and indulgent, hot chocolate has been the go-to drink for winter for decades. The delectable aroma of chocolate drifting through the air with a hint of marshmallow reminds us of returning to a warm home after an enchanting day out in the snow.

Bonus: Apple Cider

a glass of hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick inside surrounded by cut apples and cinnamon.
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Another favorite Christmas drink combines fresh sweet apples with warm, spicy cinnamon. The opposing scents create a pleasant treat for your senses, while nothing says home like the smell of apple.

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Three Christmas stockings hanging on a mantel filled with gifts.
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A few Christmas presents scattered on the floor under a tree.
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