If you like artificial Christmas trees more than the real thing, you might find one thing seriously lacking in your Christmas decor…the wonderful aroma of pine floating through your house!

I really miss the “smells of Christmas” from my childhood–though I don’t really miss the messy dropped pine needles and fire hazard of a real tree.

How to Make Your House Smell like Christmas

There’s a lot of ways to spread the pleasant smells of Christmas around your house: potpourri, scented candles, air fresheners, reed diffusers, scented oils and more. What you use depends on your personal style, how heavy you want the scent and if you’ve got small kids or curious cats in the house.

~This post contains affiliate links (including links to Amazon) which may reward me in the event of a sale.~

A word on Potpourri 

I’ve seen bags of dry potpourri at the store and until today didn’t realize that you could through that stuff in a pot of simmering water to make it release the aromas!

OK, you could just leaving sitting around the house in little bowls, but that never seems to do anything, right? (Or is dry potpourri’s just decorative…do you really want to boil a painted pine cone? Yuck!)

But if you need to be in and out of the house, a crock pot potpourri is much safer. Plus, you don’t have to worry about the pot boiling dry.

Simply place 2 sliced oranges, several cinnamon sticks, 1 cup cranberries, 2 teaspoons nutmeg and 2 sprigs rosemary in your slow cooker and fill with water until all of the ingredients are covered. Cook uncovered on low for 8 hours.

When you’re done with the potpourri, drain the water and pour the remains into a pretty mason jar to keep enjoying it for a few more days.

Christmas Candles

I really love Christmas Candles, especially ones that leave the house smelling like a fresh cut Christmas tree! You can throw this Balsam & Cedar Yankee Candle into your Amazon cart as you’re online shopping or visit a local shop and make a candle yourself! In St. Louis we have the Candle Fusion Studio with locations in the CWE and Historic St. Charles where you can make clean burning soy-based candles. You can drop by anytime or arrange a party for your group.

Christmas Coffee Scent Hack

Here’s one you can try RIGHT NOW especially if you’re a grind-em-yourself kinda coffee drinker like I am. Place whole coffee beans in a cute mason jar or other heat resistant bowl. Nestle a vanilla scented candle (or something else that goes with coffee–it’s your nose) and burn. The candle will warm up the coffee beans and spread a delightful smell. 

Scented Cotton Balls

Put a few drops of essential oils on a cotton ball and place them around the house–out of reach of little kids or pets, of course! You can buy oils in Pine, Christmas tree blend, gingerbread, peppermint and more!

Yes, I realize that’s an image of ACTUAL cotton, but isn’t it more festive than a bag of bathroom cotton balls? Besides, now I totally want to go get some real cotton and fill a vase with it.

Back to the cotton ball hack: you can also use vanilla from your pantry if you’re not into essential oils or don’t have any handy. I’ve also heard that you can stuff them in your vents to help spread the smells around, but again–not if you have pets or little kids who could mistake them for tasty treats.