What are your favourite festive fragrances? What evocative scents send you back to childhood celebrations, or make you feel all Christmassy even in the middle of June? At Dexter & Mason, we naturally spend a lot of time thinking about smells, and we’ve been reminiscing about the smells that give us that glowing, festive feeling. Here are the yuletide scents that have us reaching for the Quality Street and Bing Crosby every time.
Pine needles
As soon as the Christmas tree comes in from the cold, the whole ambience of the room changes. Remember being a child and burying your face in the tree’s scratchy branches, simply to get closer to that heady smell? There’s a subtle resiny scent, mixed with something more earthy. 
You can enhance this evocative smell with our Evergreen Forest candle, which is rich in festive piney scents.
Mulled wine
More of a scent of Christmas present than childhood memories, the heady brew of red wine, cinnamon, cloves and oranges calls up the scents of convivial festive gatherings. Stirred with a ladle on the stove top (or kept on top of the wood burner for maximum cosy points), the smell is almost as good as the taste. Even at Christmas, it’s probably inappropriate to have a vat of this lovely brew on the go all day, so light one of our Mulled Wine candles for a 24-hour heartwarming, spicy smell.
Oranges and clementines
Remember when satsumas only ever appeared at Christmas? Those of us over thirty-five get all warmly nostalgic over the scent of clementine and tangerine peel, which of course, are now available 12 months a year. Keep the tradition going by having a bowl of satsumas next to the Quality Street and the nuts – and burn a Spiced Orange candle.
Roast dinners
Ooh, the mouthwatering smell of the turkey and potatoes in the oven, along with the richness of warm cranberries and sweet, roasted carrots. Christmas morning always smells of cooking, and there’s no need to replicate that gorgeous smell! After you’ve tucked in (and faced the mountain of abandoned baking trays in the sink), lighten the atmosphere with a refreshing Wild Mint candle, that cuts through any lingering kitchen smells.
Christmas cake and spicy fruits
We think brandy-soaked fruits should be a year-round treat, especially because the aroma is so luscious! Cracking open all those little pots of candied peel and juicy sultanas immediately brings an exotic scent to your kitchen, which only gets better and better as you bake the cake or pudding. Set light to a Festive Spice candle as well as the brandy.
The Boxing Day walk
And after a day of excess, there’s nothing like the scent of a fresh sea breeze to blow the cobwebs away. We’re based on the North Wales coast, where the bracing winter Irish sea wind is just the job for clearing our heads and walking off the dinner on Boxing Day. 
The original Dexter and Mason love this part of Christmas too, as they race on the sand, chasing their own favourite smells. Recreate the feel of a refreshing December beach with our lovely Rock Salt & Driftwood candle.
We hope we’ve inspired you to introduce a little extra fragrance into your home this Christmas. What are your favourite festive fragrances? Please let us know the aromas that get you thinking back to childhood Christmases, or singing along to Mr Bublé. Who knows, we may even put them in a candle!
