The Scent of Christmas

Sage scent

In ancient times, before the availability of many pharmaceuticals, sage was an extremely rare and valuable ingredient used to treat illnesses. Sage is known for its medicinal properties, particularly its ability to treat stomach aches, gingivitis, and even headaches.

Additionally, a fairly common end-of-year tradition in Western countries is burning sage to purify the house. Similar to how people in the East boil coriander, soapberry, basil, and grapefruit peel, Westerners choose to burn a bunch of sage to dispel negative energies from the past year.

The versatile sage is also a familiar spice in cooking. Traditional Western dishes such as pumpkin soup or pork chops often feature sage. When Christmas comes, people burn sage to purify the air, brew sage tea, and enjoy cooking with great enthusiasm.

Sage isn't a strong scent like thyme or rosemary; it's very gentle and relaxing, like the smell of a spa. Sage has a slightly spicy and cool quality, so its fragrance is sure to be refreshing.

Orange and cinnamon scent

Cinnamon is a warming and fragrant spice; even a small piece can help keep you warm for a long time. Many people have a habit of nibbling on cinnamon sticks to ward off stomach chills and freshen their breath.

Oranges are a type of citrus fruit, one of the most popular fruits in the world, second only to apples. Both oranges and cinnamon appear in a quintessential Christmas drink: mulled wine.

A standard mulled wine pitcher typically contains fine wine, juicy orange slices, a few cinnamon sticks, and various other ingredients. It's a familiar drink at cozy Christmas parties, and pairs well with dishes like roasted chicken and grilled fish.

The smell of... roasted turkey.

Speaking of parties, the "king" of all Christmas dishes is roast turkey. Its aroma fills the room and is enough to lift you out of your daily stresses.

A delicious turkey has a crispy, golden-brown skin, tender meat, and is infused with the aroma of rosemary stuffed inside the carcass. The accompanying roasted vegetables are also sweet and fresh.

Panetteon pastry smell

Panettone, originating from beautiful Italy, is a type of bread with butter making up approximately 50% of its composition, and is classified as "rich bread".

Every Christmas, Westerners eagerly bake and eat this bread as a token of gratitude for the bountiful harvest that has provided them with enough wheat to eat throughout the year. This seemingly simple bread is actually quite elaborate. Flour and butter are readily available, but the dried fruit mixture must be prepared months in advance. Dried grapes, apricots, cranberries, and cherries are diced and soaked in wine from the summer, refrigerated to prevent fermentation, and then left until the right time to bake.

The aroma of panettone is so intense and captivating that once you've tried it, you can't resist. It's the rich, creamy scent of ripe butter, and a sharp, sweet, refreshing undertone from dried fruits.

Fresh pine scent

Every family celebrating Christmas has a sparkling Christmas tree in their home. But while Asians aren't particular about whether the tree is dried or fresh, real or artificial, in some Western families, the Christmas tree must be a fresh one.

Fresh pine branches are a quintessential Christmas tree with an incredibly fragrant scent. The fresh aroma of pine also helps purify the air, filtering oxygen and dispelling unpleasant odors. Pine is a classic scent, never outdated, very subtle, and distinctly festive. A fresh pine branch can help relax and calm the mind. A soothing and incredibly refreshing fragrance.

In conclusion, with these five fragrances imbued with the Christmas spirit, Travellive hopes to have provided readers with suitable and enjoyable choices to add more color to the holiday season. Put work aside for a moment, roll up a pot of sage tea, brew a cup of orange and cinnamon tea... and decorate your Christmas tree until you're exhausted.

Ha Chuu (photo: Internet)