Scent-imental: Holiday Smells Evoke Happy Memories

(NewsUSA) - Does a whiff of cinnamon bring back memories of your grandmother's kitchen? Is the smell of a fir tree unalterably linked to Christmas morning? The sense of smell is uniquely connected to memories, especially during the holiday season.

The connection between smell and memory is strong because it is so immediate.

In fact, did you know that the sense of smell is the only one of the five senses that bypasses the rational part of the brain and goes directly to the limbic area, where memory and emotion are? Which is why when you smell something, it immediately takes you on a walk down memory lane, allowing you to recall the emotion associated with that scent from the first time you smelled it.

This direct connection between smell and the brain is how aromas become strong memory triggers, often without our awareness until we smell the same scent again.

Now think about how that plays out in your home.

When you or a guest walks in, the strongest first impression will be the scent, and it will be the number-one thing that is sure to be remembered. It's not a detail you want to overlook!

Part of the fun of holiday festivities is revisiting the sights, sounds, and smells of the season.

During the holidays, many Americans bring Christmas trees and greenery into their homes to create a festive atmosphere and evoke memories of wonderful smells from childhood of hanging wreaths and visits to tree farms. However, real greens are not always a feasible option due to allergies, pets, mess, and many other factors.

More and more families in the U.S. are displaying artifical Christmas trees and greenery, and products such as ScentSicles Scented Ornaments provide an alternative that offers the beauty of holiday smells that bring the memories home.

"I genuinely believe that the sense of smell is the most important sense, because it is so closely tied to memory. One's life is made up of nothing but a collection of memories and experiences. To have a sense that can literally take you back 40 years to your childhood on Christmas morning in an instant - well, it's incredible," says Emrie Oliver, in-house fragrance expert for ScentSicles.

The ScentSicles family of products includes Scented Ornaments that are designed to be hung on trees to add a fresh-cut scent to an artifical tree or extend the scent of a real tree.

Scented Table Ornaments in the form of decorative glass jars with fragranced paper ribbons bring the aroma of the holidays nearby with no mess and no flame.

Lastly, Scented Sprigs can be easily tucked into wreaths or garland to create holiday nostalgia and Christmas cheer. The products are created from natural, sustainably-sourced paper and infused with pure, holiday-inspired fragrance oils.

Current ScentSicles fragrances include: White Winter Fir, O Christmas Tree, Snow Berry Wreath, Two Dashes of Cinnamon, and, new for this season, Spiced Pine Cones.

Visit scentsicles.com for more information about the range of holiday options that help preserve old memories and make new ones.