Healing Holiday Scents

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Healing Holiday Scents Aromatic SeasoningsBy Phylameana lila Desy, About.com Guide

What healing smells do you associate with the holidays? Hamilton / Getty Images

There are certain aromas that we tend to associate with the holiday season.

These include scents from the outdoors such as pine needles and cedar

leaves because of the holiday trees that were hauled into our homes to

be decorated. Smells from the kitchen also remind of us holiday

traditions like mom's gingerbread men freshly out of the oven,

grandpa's chocolate fudge boiling on the stove top, or aunt Meg's

cinnamon sugar cookies arriving in the mail. Below are a few of the

scents that are reminiscent of the holiday season. It is not surprising

that many of the scents that we enjoy during the holiday season have

healing associations. Peppermint

Peppermint may very well be the most common aroma wafting through the

kitchen during the holidays. Peppermint oil and crushed peppermint

candies are often used in holiday baking. In aromatherapy peppermint essential oil is noted as a mood uplifter. No wonder candy canes bring smiles to children's faces and delight people of all ages.

Oranges and Cloves

Dried pomanders can be made from oranges and cloves. Not only do orange

pomanders decorate your home over the holidays but they will double as

remedies for cold, flu, and winter blues. Cloves ward off winter

nasties associated with colds and flu. Oranges are happiness-bringers,

offering optimism and gaiety to the season. Cloves are also

aphrodisiacs and may induce romantic couplings by the festive fireside.

How to Make an Orange Pomander - Poke holes into the orange

peel with a skewer and insert a whole clove into each piercing. It

helps to design an artsy or symmetrical punch pattern for a more

decorative result. Your clove pierced oranges can also be dusted with

fragrant ground spices such as nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cinnamon.

Wrap your pomander with a ribbon and dangle it from doorways or arrange

a cluster of pomanders as an centerpiece for your foyer table. Oh, and

citrus pomanders make delightful fragrant gifts to give hosts when you

arrive at those holiday parties. Limes, lemons, tangerines, or

clementines can also be used to make a variety of citrus pomanders.

Pine, Cedar, and Eucalyptus

Holiday trees and wreaths hung on your front door are often made from

trimmings of pine, cedar, and eucalyptus. Pine aromatherapy oil is

typically used as a disinfectant. Pine has natural anti-bacterial

properties. By choosing a pine tree you would introducing the scent of

the lush forest into your home, but also offering you living space with

lingering scent which houses protective energies. Eucalyptus oil is

also a natural ingredient used in products for treating common cold

symptoms. Cedar is also used as a disinfectant as well as an aromatic

air freshener.

incense and Myrrh incense and myrrh are

historically associated with Christmas. As told in bible stories, along

with gold, frankincense and myrrh were gifts the three wise men

presented to baby Jesus. The burning of incense sticks dipped in both

oils of frankincense and myrrh gives off frankincense's sweet perfume

blended with myrrh's more potent fragrance. The combined scent is

commonly used during meditation sessions or prayer time.

Cocoa and CinnamonI can't think of anything much more

satisfying than drinking a cup of steamy cocoa after an afternoon of

sledding or an hour of shoveling snow from your sidewalks during the

cold winter season. But, top it with a generous dollup of whipped cream

and a sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg and you will be enjoying an

extra special treat. Cinnamon is a powerful antioxidant. Dark chocolate

is one of the super foods, so don't forget to stuff some sweet

chocolates inside those holiday stockings. References: Scents of the season, Griswold, Wyoming Tribune;

incense and Myrrh Sermon, Dr. Neil Chadwick, joyfulministry.com