The Smell of the Holidays

It's not just about the sights and sounds of the holidays. It's the smell. Today my friend, Kasie and I went to lunch then walked around an area called Fairhaven. Fairhaven is a small urban village area, about four square blocks filled with boutique-type shops, restaurants, offices and condos. There is a grocery store thrown in for good will and a few banks. From Fairhaven you can walk a few trails or walk down to the ferry terminal. You can see the water from most places or walk down to the water. It's a fun area and a great place to people watch. Kasie and I walked through the stores stopping when something caught our eye. We loved the stores that smelled good the minute you walked in. It made me think of the wonderful scents of Christmas. Unique to this season are the holiday scents that I love. They make me stop, inhale and smile. My favorites include the scent of cookies baking, Pumpkin Spice lattes from Starbucks or Woods Coffee, hot cider or hot buttered rum. But my all time favorite, the pine scent of Christmas trees. The house smells wonderful for weeks. We used to go chop down a Christmas tree every year. We would go to each Christmas tree farm until we found the perfect tree. Our trees had to be at least eight feet or over. We would agree on the tree then chop it down and haul it home. Getting it in the door was another story. Usually help had to be enlisted from a neighbor. I would spend two days "lighting" the tree. It involved wrapping each branch with lights. It took time but the end result was worth it. I have to admit though, for the last two years, we have used a fake tree, to my embarrassment. It is so much easier though. You haul it out from the basement, straighten all the branches and plug it in. Done, in about half an hour versus the days it took to just get the lights on the real one. And, I just got a tip from my step-daughter, Jamie. She suggested that I go get the "Mistletoe" candle from Bed, Bath and Beyond. She says it smells just like Christmas trees. I think I'll do just that. I do love the Christmas scents.