You’ve got the tree decorated, the lights strung and the stockings hung — but you’re missing one important element: the sweet, alluring scents of the holidays. There’s just nothing quite like the notes of pine, cinnamon, clove, fir and peppermint that intoxicate our senses throughout the holiday season.
If your home is lacking these iconic fragrances, try incorporating holiday scents with some help from Colorado-based bloggers and Fort Collins businesses. We’ve got ideas for candles, diffusers and even some DIY projects to make your home feel — and smell — as festive as possible!
Light a Holiday Candle
Photo Courtesy of Aglow Candle Co.
Aglow Candle Co. is a Fort Collins-based company making pure soy candles, hand poured in small batches. Their holiday collection features an assortment of warming and deliciously sweet fragrances, including the subtle and soothing spice of Merry & Bright, the cool freshness of Mountain Spruce, or the sparkling fir notes of Evergreen Citrus. Each candle is a 9-ounce recycled glass jar filled with 100% pure soy wax from America’s Midwest that burns for 40-50 hours, which is about 50% longer than paraffin wax candles of the same size.
For a limited time, buy any of the three holiday candles and get any candle from the entire Aglow collection for free, with free shipping included! Use the code “happyholidays” at checkout.
Fill a Diffuser with Essential Oils
Do you have a diffuser? If not, you need to add this to your holiday wish list! Diffusing essential oils allows you to fill your home with your favorite fragrances all year long — from refreshing floral scents in the summer to comforting aromas during the winter. Golden Poppy Apothecary has a variety of earthy, wintery essential oils to choose from, including cinnamon, cedarwood, fir, peppermint and more.
Make Pomanders
Muy Bueno developed these orange and clove pomanders / Photo by Jenna Sparks
Clove-studded oranges, otherwise known as pomanders, have been used throughout the years as a natural perfume for the home — especially during the holiday season. Using just a few basic ingredients, you can create your very own orange and clove pomanders with guidance from Yvette of Muy Bueno Cookbook, a blogger based in Colorado. Yvette displayed hers as a colorful centerpiece with the addition of pinecones and small pine tree branches for an extra fragrant and festive touch.
Get a New Room Spray or Hand Soap
Is there a better resource than Cozy Cottage for holiday-themed decor and cozy products to get us through the winter? Their Frazier Fir Collection is their #1 selling holiday collection, and for good reason! Cozy Cottage says it best: “The aromatic snap of Siberian Fir needles, heartening cedarwood and earthy sandalwood combine to create a just-cut forest fragrance that evokes warmth and comfort.” Their Frazier Fir scent is available in a variety of forms, including an all-purpose cleaner, diffuser reeds, a three-wick candle, room spray, wax melt, hand wash, hand lotion and much more.
Simmer a Pot of Spices
Potpourri is back in vogue — this time, with a new twist! Stovetop potpourri can simmer on the stove all day long and makes the whole house smell like Christmas. Coloradan and blogger Tieghan of Half-Baked Harvest created this beautiful aromatic stovetop potpourri with cinnamon, citrus, ginger and vanilla, but she says you can add whatever ingredients you have on hand! It’s the perfect thing to make on a cold, snowy Colorado weekend.
Scent Your Pine Cones
We have no shortage of pine cones here in Northern Colorado. Capitalize on this natural “decor” in your backyard by harvesting them and displaying them indoors this holiday season. Colorado blogger, 719 Woman, shared several ways to use pine cones, including how to scent them with orange or cinnamon essential oils. There are a number of ways to display your newly scented pinecones, including a table centerpiece, place settings, and more.
Bake Cookies
One surefire way to fill your home with holiday magic is by baking a batch of homemade cookies. Plus, you get to eat the sweet, delicious goodness — or share them with your family, friends and neighbors. When we’re looking for a good recipe, we always turn to some of our favorite Colorado food bloggers, including Creative Culinary, Cooking on the Ranch, Plant-Based Cooking, SpiceRoots, Climbing Grier Mountain, Dough-Eyed, Boulder Locavore, Elana’s Pantry and Dinners, Dishes & Desserts. Each has shared a variety of cookie recipes over the years, including holiday- and non-holiday creations!
Make Scents?
What ideas do you have? Let us know in the comments below!
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