Yet another great thing about the holidays is all the wonderful aromas and fragrances that carry us through the end of the year. Cinnamon, apple, peppermint, pine, gingerbread, sugar cookies, pumpkin pie… everything smells so delicious. Out of the five senses, smell triggers memories more than any other — no wonder we associate all these scents with happy memories of Christmases past!
So I saw my boss doing this the other day at our new studio, and it made the place smell so amazing that I had to try it at home. It’s super easy — you just slice oranges into thin wheels, lay them out on a cookie sheet, and sprinkle them with cinnamon and cloves (you can add allspice and nutmeg if you have those on hand too) and stick them into a heated oven for about half an hour and let the aroma permeate your kitchen and the rest of the house.
A more long-term way to keep your home smelling like Christmas is to make orange pomanders, but since those take two weeks to a month to completely dry, it’s a little too late for me to attempt them. I’ll have to remember to tackle making them next year! Can you tell I love the holidays?