14 Ideas for a Fresh and Festive Holiday

What makes the holidays so festive are the sights, sound and smells that we experience from November until January. I realized this the other day when I went shopping for my regular weekly groceries and was swarmed by the sight of pies and holiday cookies, the smell of chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon and other spices and the sound of Christmas music.

This attack on my senses brought me back to the joys of being a kid and I immediately thought of the familiar chorus: “chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose”? Many of us long to recreate our childhood holiday memories for our own kids because we remember the joy we experienced. There are more than several ways that I try to create a fresh and festive holiday for myself and my family.

1. I absolutely love the smell of scented pine cones and they not only signify Fall and harvest time for me but they also do a great job of scenting the entry way to my home. Generally, I purchase them from a craft store and place them in a basket on a mantle by my front door so that as soon as we open the door we are greeted by the aroma and duplicate the scent of Fall in our home.
2. Pumpkin or cinnamon spiced candles are a December decorating staple for me. These candles are so heavily scented when you first purchase them that they don’t even have to be lit to catch a whiff. Due to the fact that I have young boys, I opt not to light the candles until they are fast asleep and the aroma tends to linger well into the next day. Not only do they permeate throughout the home, but they are also useful for setting a new mood once the kids are asleep.
3. Decorating the window frame with white lights scream festivity. The great thing about simple white lights is that a little goes a long way as far as curb appeal and you get a little more leniency taking them down as compared to red and green lights.
4. One of the easiest ways to literally walk around with the scent of the holidays is to drop a scented sachet in your suitcases and drawers or hang one in your closet. Your clothing will pick up the scent and depending on how strong your sachet is, you can carry the fragrance on you all day.
5. One of my all-time favorite activities with my children during the holidays is making gingerbread houses. I like purchasing them already baked so that our main task is simply putting them together and then eating them! It is one of the most engaging craft projects I know of.
6. The smell of fresh baked bread, no matter what kind it is, freshens the air of a house like nothing else. In the spirit of the holidays I like to stick with pumpkin and zucchini flavors as they both signify Fall and are plentiful this time of year.
7. Unfortunately, everyone doesn’t have access to street vendors and the different food smells that come from their carts. However, a trip into places like New York always make the holiday more festive as chestnuts and other roasted nuts circle their carts and invade the senses. Even if I cannot make it to the big city, I will get a bag of raw nuts and lay them on a baking sheet and put them in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes and voila, I’m on Madison Ave.
8. Instead of poaching pears or baking them, I like to make oven-baked cinnamon nutmeg apples. The apples are cored and sliced in half after being skinned. Lay them face down on parchment paper after sprinkling them with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and brown sugar. Bake them at 350 degrees until they soften, then enjoy!
9. What is a holiday without a party? Attending or hosting a holiday party is another favorite way to bring in the season with family and friends.
10. When is it socially acceptable to start decorating for Christmas? In my opinion, whenever you want to but I think the best time is the day after Thanksgiving when you usually don’t have to cook because you have a fridge of leftovers and some extra hands around the house to help you. You can easily turn it into a Christmas decorating party. Why not?
11. Most places have a festival of lights nearby and it is a great tradition to share with the family. We like to get to a show where we can drive through it instead of walking through so that we can stay warm and gawk comfortably.
12. The other type of holiday show we like to attend to get us in the festive mood is an ice carving show/exhibit. A major resort near us features an ice exhibit for a month and a half; however, you may be able to find one at a local museum as well.
13. The hustle and bustle of the holidays requires a few days of good old fashioned do nothing family time. One of the ways we choose to do this is by sipping on hot chocolate with marshmallows while watching a Christmas family classic.
14. Christmas tree shopping is another family activity that we love to share during the season. It is one that gets us all in a festive mood. There are the normal Christmas tree lots but there are also tree farms that let you pick your own tree and in some cases cut your own as well. Talk about a good family laugh.

So, for me the holidays are about so many things that relate to our senses besides the pure joy of being with family and celebrating what the holidays stand for. Ultimately, they are about continuing traditions and creating new ones.

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