My Mom's Trick for Making Our Home Smell like Christmas Works Every Year, and Now I'll Always Use It

"One of my favorite ways to do this is through scent. I've always loved essential oils and aromatherapy, and I use them often in my self-care rituals. What I love about Christmas and my "new year" overlapping is how easily I can blend both. That means combining festive scents with my own grounding traditions - and nothing captures both better than my mom's Christmas simmer pot recipe."

"A simmer pot is simply a pot of water filled with a mix of natural ingredients like fruit, spices, and herbs that's warmed and left to simmer on the stove. As the ingredients warm, they release a fragrant steam that fills your home. My mom has made one every Christmas for as long as I can remember, and it always makes her home smell warm and inviting."

"1 whole orange, sliced A handful of cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1 cup of filtered or unfiltered apple cider Add water as needed for more steam Combine the above items and let the mixture simmer gently on th"

Christmas is associated with cozy, nostalgic aromas and intentional grounding during the two weeks after the winter solstice, regarded as a personal "real new year." Scent functions as a self-care tool, with essential oils and aromatherapy woven into holiday rituals. A simmer pot uses water, fruit, spices, and herbs warmed to release fragrant steam that fills the home. The family recipe combines orange, cloves, cinnamon, and apple cider. The mixture provides both a welcoming home fragrance and a drinkable mulled cider. Additional water can be added to increase steam, and the mixture should simmer gently on the stove.

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