From our exclusive Perspex decorations and crackers to our traditional seasonal trimmings and dining highlights, we have everything you need to dress your Christmas. Time then, to consider your festive olfactory experience as we ask fragrance expert, Odette Toilette, to guide you through her top tips for creating an explosion of seasonal scents.
Cire Trudon Carmelite Candle, £60
“Christmas and candles. They are so right together, and it is so inordinately satisfying, before visitors arrive, to wander around the home, striking yet another match and lighting every single wick in sight to produce a merry troop of scented beacons. But the candle equivalent of guzzling all the chocolates in the assortment box is not necessarily a good thing, unless you like an off-key mix of aromas and wasted precious product. I write as somebody whose mantelpiece, come New Year, used to be a sorry graveyard of half used candles, split wicks and matches buried in re-solidified wax.
Now somewhat reformed, here are some tips on how to approach fragrancing your home over the festive season.
True Grace Manor Sacristy Candle, £24
To my mind, the best time for very nostalgic and familiar festive scents is Christmas Eve, when you arrive back from that last day’s work and can finally switch into ‘the mode’. As much as I love a traditional pomander smell, I think the most enticing aromas are ones which also bring a whiff of cool church pillars and Midnight Mass. One of my favourites is Manor Sacristy from True Grace. You might also enjoy Carmelite from Cire Trudon (though make sure your home is warm when you light it, as it really does have that cool, mossy stone edge).
Dr. Vranjes Ginger & Lime Room Spray, £26.50
On Christmas morning, stride around spritzing a gorgeous, fizzy room spray like Dr Vranjes’ Ginger and Lime as you pull open the curtains and pop the cork on the breakfast bubbly. That’ll summon the troops for present-opening time.
True Grace Sage Candle, £14
There will most likely be quite a lot of activity going on in the kitchen, so use fragrance here as more of a low-key comforting base, rather than as a centrepiece – it’s quite confusing smelling stuffing in the oven together with vanilla from the candle wick and to be honest the food will overwhelm the fragrance. A great neutral is True Grace’s Wild Sage, which mingles well with both savoury and sweet cooking.
Malin & Goetz Dark Rum Candle, £37
For the evenings, perhaps with a glass of scotch in your hand and a game of poker on the horizon, I would cut out the obviously festive fragrances and move to something a little more sophisticated and moody. Try Malin & Goetz’s Tobacco or Dark Rum candles for a dark winters’ night.
Cire Trudon Dada Candle, £60
After a while orange and cinnamon can get a bit full-on, like hearing Last Christmas on a loop. So in just one room or area of your home, try having a completely different fragrance to hand. When things get too much with the relatives, or you’ve lost too many rounds of Monopoly, you can retreat there to get off the Christmas roundabout for just a few minutes. It’s more pleasing than hiding in your wardrobe. I love Cire Trudon’s eucalyptussy Dada candle for a bit of a nasal reset.
Jardins d'Ecrivains Poudre de Lait Bath Salts, £32.50
If you have house guests over Christmas, I’d leave them a jar of Jardins d’Ecrivain’s Poudre de Lait bath salts – they’ll be opening the pot to have a sniff now and then as much as they’ll use it for bathing.
The Scent of Departure MIA Eau de Toilette, £35
Finally if you’re feeling a bit fragile from too much Barolo, spritz something like MIA from Scents of Departure on you (and around you) – the amber with blood orange will sort out your head in no time.”
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Odette Toilette hosts events that turn the discovery of fragrance upside down. From a make-your-own Lickable Perfumes masterclass to smell-infused ghost story evenings and a collaboration with the Royal Observatory Greenwich on the smells of outer space, no theme is too strange to form the basis of an unusual night out. Check out odettetoilette.com for tickets and forthcoming events.