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The 12 Smells of (Irish) Christmas

Your nose deserves it.

CHRISTMAS DAY WOULDN’T be the same without the heavy scents that flood the air throughout the house.

Smells like…

1. Eau de Mam’s ham

Mam’s ham; often attempted, never imitated. It isn’t truly Christmas day until this mouth-watering scent floods the house.

Ham Source: sk8geek

2. Christmas tree spritz

NOTHING beats the smell of a real Christmas tree as it slowly dies in your living room. Not even the smell of new car, the pages of a book, or cold hard cash. Nothing.

christmas tree Source: hodgers

3. Cinnamon scent

We don’t know when or where this connection to Christmas happened, but we like it. Want to make something smell like Christmas? Throw a bit of cinnamon on it.

Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks 3 inch -2 Source: CINNAMON VOGUE

4. Whiff of wrapping paper

Let’s face it, wrapping presents is a pain. But the smell of that freshly cut shiny paper, mmmmmm.

annyong in the wrapping paper Source: sealionsrule

5. Musk of attic

All your decorations have been dragged down and the staleness of the attic lives through them. It’s a mixture of those year old newspapers you used to wrap them up and dusty insulation.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Source: Kelseyandkevin

6. Orange zest

Bit’ve orange in everything, now it’s Christmas. Dried orange, orangey chocolate, an orange with little cloves stuck into it. We’ve got notions of Christmas oranges considering we’re past the days when they used to be the only present you’d get in your sock, as your dad will constantly tell you.

Cloven Orange Source: robef

7. Aroma of despair

Can we leave now? Little dude on the right knows what we’re talkin’ bout.

awkward-christmas-card-photos-large-msg-132408091887 Source: Mask

8. Burning dust of rad

Has the heat been off for the past week at all? Nothing says Christmas like lounging around uncomfortably full and sweating actual sweats alongside your meat sweats. “Are you warm? Will we turn off that heat?” gets banded around a lot, but nobody ever does.

radiatordust Source: TripAdvisor

9. Fragrant frost

It may not be a white Christmas, but it will always be a frosty one. The frosty chill in the air and the crunch under you feet, it doesn’t smell like Christmas without that earthy air.

Frost grass Source: noii's

10. Cracker singe

After you’ve been pressured into putting your paper hat on, it hits your nose. The card strip inside that snaps leaves a smoky chemical smell that just can’t be good for anyone. Breathe it in deep, it only comes once a year.

Cracker Source: dearbarbie

11. Canned Guinness gas

No, not that kind of gas. The actual gas that comes out of the can when you crack open a cold one to accompany the box of Heroes.

Dan, Emma and a can of Guinness Source: Stephen Douglas

12. Sweet-box stench

A bit plasticy, a bit chocolatey. All in all, a welcome smell after your mountainous dinner. Choose wisely, choose carefully.

image Source: Louise McSharry

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