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I love walking into a home when there’s a delightful whiff of cooking and baking coming from the kitchen.  It tells me that someone is treating me special and I am welcome here. It doesn’t work if you’re serving cookies from the box on the shelf. But when they are fresh baked, and the scent of anise, chocolate and pralines are still in the air, wow what a treat!

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Scent of Christmas –  #548

Christmas has a field day with your olfactory receptors. The scents of the holidays are everywhere, and your nose knows! These are special fragrances and aromas that don’t exist, at any other time of year.

What are your favorites? The scent of pine trees and pine wreaths makes it feel like the forest has been brought into your house.  I love it.

The smell of fresh-baked cookies . . . or even better, cookies as they ARE baking.

In my family, treasured recipes have been passed down for generations. Some of them are just too involved to undertake.  Others would be too expensive.

My mom made something called Christmas rocks.  They were baked around Thanksgiving and allowed to ferment until Christmas.  They contained four different kinds of liquor and more nuts, raisins and currants than could fit my budget today.

But I can still remember the pungent and enticing aroma when Mom opened that tin of Christmas rocks after its gestation period.  Whew!

The roasted turkey is high on the list of holiday essence and may even be trumped by the smell of special recipe stuffings made with cornbread or oysters or minced chicken livers mixed with the other ingredients.  Oh, and wonderful winter root vegetables.

So, long before you get to eat the holiday goodies, enjoy just smelling them and all the memories they recount.

P.S.   

You know what other winter scent I love?  The smell of cold. When you go outside after the first heavy snowfall and no one is out cleaning up yet.  That crisp, clear air is wonderful and smells delightful.  Gone too fast, but there for a moment of pleasure. 

[Show #548]