The smell of the pre-Christmas season

Dec 14, 2025

Today is the third Sunday of Advent. This strange middle of December: everyone is somehow in the final stretch, and at the same time you realize that Christmas is just around the corner.

I had a moment that briefly pulled me out of the pre-Christmas stress: I came home, hung my coat over the chair, and then there was that smell that instantly says "home." A mixture of Advent wreath candles, tea, and the last traces of incense from the previous evening. And suddenly, my mind felt quieter. As if someone had turned down the noise outside, where people are hurrying through bustling Christmas markets and searching for last-minute gifts in crowded shopping malls.

Scents have an immediate effect. You don't think for long, but are instantly transported back in time: to a kitchen of the past, to Christmas as a child, to a beautiful winter evening. A feeling that you didn't actively seek, and yet is still there.

Especially during Advent, you can consciously use these little scent anchors to briefly unwind: orange or mandarin, fir, candle wax, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, freshly baked cookies, coffee, or whatever you like. You can find the perfect sofa to lie down and relax on here .