Most joyous and fragrant greetings to you all, on this Christmas holiday! Each and every year, as I get older, I dread the season a little more…but look forward to smelling divine while wafting yuletide inspired scents.  The insanity of Black Friday starting the Monday before, and the focus becoming more and more on “presents”, as opposed to “presence”;  it is almost like the true meaning of Christmas has been lost, somehow. The holidays don’t truly come alive for me until the weather gets cooler and I don some of my favorite “holiday spirits”.

CARON Nuit de Noel may have been launched in 1922, but the scent is timeless. This is a truly spectacular oriental floral that captures the spirit and beauty of the holiday without any of the usual trappings. A dry flowery opening of jasmine and classic rose blended with ylang ylang radiates an aura of love, warmth and downy softness. Woody heart notes of cedar, draped in oak moss, add a hint of pine accented by the drier, slightly sour green. Finishing softly with sweet amber and rich deep musk this captures all the warmth of the season and is the fragrant equivalent of the super comfy vintage sweater you dig out for holiday parties, and wonder: why don’t I wear this more often? Sillage: very good. Longevity: very good.

Every year, for as long as I can remember, Yves Rocher has released seasonal fragrant offerings. Some years there are perfumes, other years there aren’t. In 2009, Les Plaisirs Nature Marron de Noel EDT was released in the EU; but not in the North American market. A dear fragrant friend sent me a gift of this one year and it truly says “Christmas” to me like few other perfumes. It is a simple scent composed of spiced chestnut and rich golden vanilla. The nuttiness is dry, like they were roasted on an open fire, and the smoky bean adds just a hint of dark sweetness. Wearing this simple pleasure always reminds me of the first time I had hot roasted chestnuts walking in North Side Park, with my then husband, listening to carolers while holding hands and catching snowflakes on our tongues as lights twinkled. Sillage: average. Longevity: good.

When I think of this holiday, gingerbread houses always spring to mind. The scent of the bread baking, the icing cooking, the candy decorations ready are all echoed for me in Serge Lutens Five O’Clock Au Gingembre. This perfume was another gift, from a lovely online perfume pal to help chase away winter “blahs”. A very significant scent for me, this was my first SL fragrance…and my very first niche scent ever! To this day, few scents warm my heart like this one can. Steeping Earl Grey tea blends scents of molasses and spice. The ginger and cinnamon heart encased in soft woods are the yummy warm walls that form the structure; while honey, cocoa and amber are the drizzle and candy buttons on the roof. Spiced to the end, with pepper and patchouli, this never gets too rich or thick and maintains a very clear and crisp gourmand vibe that lasts all evening. Sillage: good. Longevity: excellent.

The spirit and tradition of giving gifts at this holiday began with the offerings of the Magi to the baby Jesus. These were gold, frankincense and myrrh. Truly precious, both then and now, these gifts also began the custom of burning sweet smelling incense throughout the season. No other incense fragrance captures this sacred sweetness for me like Comme des Garcons Series 3: Incense Avignon. This, to me is the scent of midnight mass, the swinging censers of cold sharp smoldering incense that fills the church. Other resins add warmth and depth: labdanum, elemi and patchouli imbue cedar and rosewood echoing ancient hardwood beams and dark smoke-stained pews. Chamomile adds a slight herbal brightness that keeps the smoke from becoming too thick. Vanilla (the “gold”) creeps over it all, augmented with ambrette seed and musk, maintaining a distinctly human feel instead of floating upwards to the heavens. Sillage: very good. Longevity: good.

Each of these perfumes captures various aspects of the “most wonderful time of the year” for me. No other perfume captures the true spirit of the holidays for me more than DSH  Perfumes December No. 10. Somewhere between a Thomas Kinkade painting and an Edie Brickell & New Bohemians song, this scent is inspired by long forest walks, incense, gingerbread, pomanders and simmering punch. Clove and orange open to spices and ginger surrounded by soft greens. Pine, fir and thick resins are warmed with a soft rose, almost lost in the shuffle, adding a tender side to this. Ultimately woody, resinous, slightly dark and earthy-smelling this perfume actually, a few years back, reminded me what this was really all about: family, friends, feasting and fun. I was ready to throw up my hands and scream “Bah, humbug!” to anyone who would listen. But Dawn Spencer Hurwitz hugged me (through this fragrance) and reminded me that this holiday comes not from without or what you can buy; but from within your own heart and how much you give of it. Thank you, again. Sillage: magical. Longevity: overnight.

May all of you, no matter what you may celebrate or observe, have a safe, happy and healthy holiday season.

Disclosure: Reviews based on bottles, samples and decants from my collection.

-John Reasinger, Senior Editor

Thanks to Dawn Spencer Hurwitz we have a draw for December Holiday No. 10. For our international readers the draw is for a sample for our US readers the draw is for a dram oil essence pulse roller . To be eligible leave a comment on your favorite scents of the season and whether you are international or US. The draw will end on December 28, 2013.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.