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In this post: Cinnamon, pine, clove, cranberries, rosemary, and peppermint are just a few of the most instantly-recognizable Christmas scents. Here I’m going to share over fifty ways to make your house smell like Christmas using those Holiday scents and more!
Aromas have the power to instantly transport us back in time to a memory or feeling. And the scents of the Holidays are certainly no exception. Here are 50+ inexpensive ways to make your house smell like Christmas this year.
Table of Contents
What Does Christmas Smell Like?
Christmas smells like a combination of several warm, cozy scents. Fresh baked cookies, cinnamon, cloves, gingerbread, vanilla, ginger, citrus fruits (especially oranges), cold crisp winter air, fresh evergreens (like fir and pine needles), and hot chocolate are all aromas that are synonymous with Christmas.
So how do we make our homes smell like that all season long?
50+ Inexpensive Ways To Make Your House Smell Like Christmas
Below are over fifty ways to make your house smell like Christmas, naturally! Plus, many of these ideas can be used to make great gifts for friends and family.
Light the fire
If you’re lucky enough to have a wood-burning fireplace, lighting a fire will make it smell and feel like a cozy Christmas in your home almost immediately. You could also use scented fire starters.
Put on a Wax Warmer
We tend to use our diffusers more than our wax melters in the winter because of the dry winter (and furnace) air. But I still love my melter too because it adds a little extra fragrance, without an open flame, to any space.
My favorite wax melts are from Natura Soy because they use only natural essential oils and soy wax in all their products. If you order from them make sure you use this discount to get 15% off at checkout: homemadelovely15
Simmering Potpourri
Simmer pot or stovetop potpourri is a super-easy way to make your house smell delicious and inviting! All ingredients can be kept on hand throughout the year to whip up the potpourri on the stove to make your house smell amazing whenever you want to!
Related: 16 Simmer Pot Recipes for All Seasons – Homemade Simmering Potpourri
Essential Oil Diffuser Blends
If you are a fan of essential oils like I am, you will love this list of winter essential oil diffuser blends to add to your mix this season! On a cold chilly day, warm your home up from the inside.
What I love about these blends is you get that fragrant aroma that makes you feel like it is a cold winter day, it might remind you of special family traditions or memories from the past, and it helps to purify your air. I have a wide range of blends and some even work perfectly for fighting those nasty germs that could be floating in the air!
Related: 24 Best Winter Essential Oil Diffuser Blends
Put Some Cinnamon-Scented Pine Cones in a Basket
Make your own cinnamon-scented pine cones for fall, winter, and Holiday decorating. Use fragrance oils OR even my favorite, essential oils!
Use Scentsicles
Every year when we go look at Holiday decor, there are inevitably Scentsicles locally at stores like Micheals and Canadian Tire, or online at Amazon. You can buy some that smell like pine cones, fir, or snow berry wreath. But sometimes if you’re lucky you can find the cinnamon-scented Scentsicles too!
Make DIY Fragrance Sachets
I have the basic tutorial to make hot and cold rice bags here. Instead of filling them with plain rice though, try adding a few drops of your favorite essential oils or fragrance oils to the rice for DIY fragrance sachets.
Bake Cookies
If you’re a baker, of course baking Christmas cookies (and other holiday treats) will make your home smell all yummy and Christmassy!
(I’m not a very good cookie-maker – but my girls were literally baking cookies as I worked on this post! And it smells YUMMY in here!)
Make Fragrant Tea
Some teas – like apple cinnamon – have a lovely aroma that tends to spread to fill the space.
Put Christmas Potpourri in a Bowl
You could buy or make a Christmas potpourri that has cinnamon sticks, dried orange slices, whole cloves, and more in it.
Put Out a Reed Diffuser
Reed diffusers, filled with scented oils (fragrance oil if they don’t bother you, or essential oils) are another lovely way to add some holiday aromas to your home without cooking. You can make a reed diffuser from any glass container – even a mason jar will do!
Related: DIY Reed Diffuser – Plus Homemade Diffuser Oil Recipes
Use Fresh Greenery in Your Decor
Of course, one of the most wonderful scents of the season is that of fresh greenery – pine, cedar, fir. You can buy or make your own live wreaths, garlands, or even just place branches in tablescapes, centerpieces, or on chandeliers.
Switch to Christmas Hand Soap…
There are the classics like those from Bath and Bodyworks. But you can also pick up some Christmas scented hand soap from the grocery store during the Holiday Season. Or you could make your own DIY Foaming Hand Soap with Essential Oils.
And Christmas-Scented Cleaners
The same goes for home cleaning supplies during the Holidays – grab some from the store, or make your own.
Related: How to Make Your Own Household Cleaners Using Essential Oils
Spray a Little Christmas-Scented Room Spray
Room sprays are another easy way to add a touch of fragrance to your spaces during the Holidays too. You can make your own, or pick some up wherever home scents are sold.
Light Scented Candles
Scented candles are perfect for the Holidays. But we wary of cheap ones made with a bunch of chemicals and fake fragrances. My favorite candles are from Natura Soy because they use only natural essential oils and soy wax in all their products. If you order from them make sure you use this discount to get 15% off at checkout: homemadelovely15
Put Out a Cloved Orange or Two
Do you remember doing this craft as a kid in elementary school? Basically, you stick a whole orange full of a bunch of dried cloves. It makes a pokey decoration, but the aroma is wonderful- and entirely natural!
Hide a Few Scented Cotton Balls
Cotton balls dabbed in essential oils or fragrance oils can be tucked behind books and decor on shelves. Just be sure to keep them out of reach of pets and kids who may get a little too curious.
Use Gingerbread Men as Ornaments
If you make actual gingerbread men, you can use them as ornaments on your Christmas tree. But I recommend making our salt dough gingerbread men and scenting them with a few drops of essential oils each year when you hang them on the tree.
Create Scented Ornaments for the Tree
Much like the gingerbread men ornaments, mentioned above, you could make clay ornaments and add a little scented oil to them, refreshing as needed.
Related: Essential Oils to Avoid for Pets and Babies
Mull Some Wine on the Stovetop
Mulled wine is spiced wine. It’s usually made with red wine and mulling spices, along with a few other things like:
- cider
- spices (like nutmeg)
- brandy
- honey
- orange slices
- cinnamon sticks
- star anise
- cloves
Mulled wine can be served hot or cold and smells delicious.
Make DIY Dried Orange Slices
DIY dried orange garlands can be finicky to make without burning them. But if you slice a couple of oranges about 1/8 to 1/4″ thick and lay them on a baking rack on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at about 200 degrees F for several hours most of the slices will turn out just fine. Then add them to the tree as ornaments, tie them on a wreath, hang them with the stockings, or string them together to make a garland.
Related: How To Make Dried Orange Slices + 8 Ways to Use Them This Christmas
More Home smell posts you will enjoy:
What’s your favorite way to make your home smell like Christmas?
