Scents of the Season
I first introduced you guys to one of my longtime favourite brands just six months ago – I’m talking about Demeter Fragrance Library, which is known for its expansive catalogue of pick-me-up unisex cologne sprays that offer a quick fix of your favourite smells. From the bizarre (Crayon or Giant Sequoia anyone?) to the scrumptious (Graham Cracker and Bubblegum, to name a few) to the ambient (like Mesquite or Laundry Mat), you’re pretty much guaranteed to find your favourite scent bottled up for your anytime enjoyment.
Demeter’s fragrances are available at Loblaws stores nation-wide, or you can scoop them up directly from the Demeter website for a reasonable $12 shipping rate. They also come in a handy variety of price points – from stocking stuffer priced $6 mini cologne splashes to $25 for a perfect hostess gift – a diffuser oil with reeds available in any scent Demeter produces. I was eagerly anticipating seeing what Demeter had going on for the holiday season, and I’m pleased to share with you a sampling of their must-smell holiday scents!
Snow
If you ever watched Gilmore Girls, you’ll know that Lorelei very much proclaimed when it ‘smelled like snow’. This award-winning scent is about as close as you’ll get to having her bloodhound nose, as it miraculously captures the scent of cold, crisp air and nearly-frozen earth in a single spritz. A perfect choice for the bride celebrating a winter wedding, or for a snowbird friend that’s spending the holidays down south.
Mistletoe
For all the hype around this kissing-berry plant, it’s not all that common to see the live stuff these days. No worries – you can still capture the aphrodisiac qualities of this potent plant with a spray of this Demeter fragrance. Tuck it in the stocking of your sweetheart for an excuse to share a snog come Christmas morning.
Egg Nog
Vanilla, cream, cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg – you can practically taste the goodness brewing inside this bottle. Unsurprisingly, Egg Nog is actually a pretty perennially popular scent for body care retailers to try their hand at – but I doubt any of them have hit the nail quite on the head like Demeter. Try it in the pint-sized roll-on cologne oil ($10) to perk up your friends’ noses at the company Christmas party.
Christmas Bouquet
Carnations are at the heart of this winter floral perfume – giving it a spicy, fresh scent that also doesn’t feel too spring-like. Fun fact – Demeter used to have a ‘Blue Carnation’ scent, which purportedly (without any substantial evidence) the Queen of England liked so much, she asked Demeter to halt production on so she could be the exclusive wearer. The Christmas Bouquet scent is the next best thing for any carnation lovers, and might I say, a festive choice at that.
Gingerbread
I swear to you, half the reason why the gingerbread men and women get snapped up so quickly from the dessert table is that irresistible smell we all seem to associate with the holidays. Here it’s in its most potent form, instantly transporting you to a German bakery filled with gingerbread houses and cookies, all dusted with a light dusting of sugar.
Christmas Tree
I feel like people that live on Christmas tree farms must be the happiest folks on earth – because I can’t tell you how many times I’ll be with someone and we’ll pass a pine tree and they’ll get all fluttery-eyed and gasp at how much they love that scent. I don’t disagree – that woodsy, pine smell is a literal breath of fresh air for those few short weeks we let trees into our home. For the rest of the year, that rustic smell is a just a spritz away from wafting through the air again. Consider getting this one in the Atmosphere Spray to amp up the smell of your tree before having guests over.
Mulled Cider
If realism is what you’re striving for, I think Mulled Cider might take the top crown of these holiday scents. You’ll have to resist drinking this one up after you catch a whiff of the fresh apples, spicy cinnamon sticks, and cardamom pods. It makes for a great kitchen spray after a savoury meal, or experience an almost-instant heartwarming effect when you spray it on whenever you’re feeling a little chilled.
Truthfully there are a dozen other scents you could pick out as holiday classics. Some obvious (like Christmas in NY or new addition Sugar Plum), some a little more off the beaten path (like Cranberry, Chocolate Mint, or 2010 Olympic pick Frozen Pond to name a mere few). However if you’d like to envelope yourself in holiday scents year-round, you may be in luck. I’ve got a prize package of all the scents featured above to give to one of my readers! Here’s how to enter:
1) Leave a comment by December 7th with the holiday scent featured above you’d most like to sample.
2) Entries are limited to one per person / per email address / per household (or more if you score bonus entries). A random draw will be conducted on or around December 8th to select the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen in their place.
3) Entries are limited to Canadians that have reached the age of majority in their province. Quebec is not eligible to participate in this promotion.
4) Bonus Entry: Refer-a-friend. For every friend you recruit to enter the contest, you’ll earn a bonus entry (and they’ll get entered too, of course). Just have them mention you by name in their comment.
Canadian Gift Guide 
I would like to try the Eggnog or Gingerbread scents! Yum!
I would like to tyr the egg-nog and Gingerbread
I would love to sample the mulled cider.
Mmmm chocolate mint and mulled cider and gingerbread…well all of them sound great!!
I’d love to sample the GIngerbread scent.
I THINK I WOULD MOST LIKE TO SAMPLE CHRISTMAS TREE. I HAVE A FALSE TREE NOW AND I MISS THE SMELL OF A REAL TREE-THANKS!
I imagine SNOW smells fresh and crisp, so that’s my pick. Nice to hear they are at Loblaws, these would make great gifts. Good luck everyone!
Ahhhh…..the smell of Gingerbread would be most appealing to me!
I’d love to try Snow. Although Bubblegum also sounds like it would be right up my alley.
I’d like to try the Mistletoe scent.
Thanks for the chance to win!
Reblogged this on Annette J Dunlea Irish Author.
Loved these the first time you featured them. I’d love the Egg Nog and my daughter would flip for the choolate mint and pretty much all of them. 🙂
I would like to try the Eggnog = Holiday
they all sound like they would smell awesome, I think Christmas Bouquet would be my first choice.
They all sound like they smell wonderful but I think I’d most like to try the Christmas Bouquet.
I would love the try the Christmas Bouquet – that’s a very creative scent for the season
The gingerbread scent would be so nice
all of these sound amazing! i think i would go with gingerbread. 🙂
I would love to try Christmas Tree.
I like subtle so Snow!
I would most like to sample Snow!
rebthecatsitter at gmail dot com
Mistletoe sounds unique
All the scents would be good, but I think the Mulled Cider might be the best one!!
Mmmm chocolate mint and gingerbread sounds awesome:)
They all sound so good but i think i would pick Christmas Bouquet
Christmas Tree sounds interesting.
I’d like to try either the gingerbread or the snow.
msdickinson28 at hotmail dot com
The eggnog looks YUMMY!
would love to try the Gingerbread
I’d like to try Christmas Bouquet.
I would want to find out what the Snow smells like!
They all sound great, it’s hard to just pick one! But I’ll narrow my choice down to Mistletoe.
I would love to try the mulled cider, smells delish!!!!
Cant wait to try SNOW!!
i wonder what snow smells like
I like the simple and fresh scents so I would love to try the Christmas Bouquet or Snow!! Mostly snow….mainly because of the Gilmore Girls reference 😀
I’d love to try the Mulled Cider scent.
I’d love to try the Snow and Gingerbread scents!
Love to try SNOW
Snow — I always wondered what snow smelt like!!
mmm I think I’d most like to try Gingerbread.
I love pine!! so Christmas tree scent would be wonderful!! Second choice would be cranberry! Thanks for the opportunity!
mulled cider
I would like to try the Christmas Bouquet scent.
I would like to try the Snow scent. Thank you.
I would like to try SNOW
I would like to try the Snow scent.
Gingerbread
i’d like to try “snow”
I think I would like to try the Christmas Bouquet or Snow, however they all sound like scents I would like to try
I’d like to try “Snow”
I’d love to try out “Egg Nog”
I’d like to try Snow
I want to try gingerbread
I’d like to try the scent Egg Nog.
I was just at my Loblaws a few days ago, and they revamped their whole beauty section! I was at the Demeter fragrance bar for at least 15minutes, smelling all their scents. I actually smelt Snow, and I’d love to own it. I like the unusual scents. I went home with thunderstorm a few days ago. Definitely an odd scent, but so cool!!
I’d most like to sample the Gingerbread holiday scent
I would be all about sampling Christmas Tree!
Gingerbread 🙂
Gingerbread, Sarah Snow reffered me
I like to try the eggnog.
i bet the gingerbread would smell awesome!
I would love to try the Christmas Bouquet.
I would so love to try the Gingerbread!
I would most likely use mulled cider, so that’s too safe a choice. Therefore I’d try Mistletoe.
Margaret Imecs referred me
I would most like to sample the Gingerbread scent
The gingerbread would be my favorite
i would like to try the gingerbread
I would love to try Mistletoe!
also I was referred by Margaret Imecs as well
Christmas Bouquet
Mistletoe, is the one that stands out for me.
My fave is definitely the Gingerbread scent! I inhale these cookies around the holidays, so why not wear the scent too?!!
Christmas Bouquet would be pretty, as would all!
Very curious as to what the scent “Snow” would smell like !
I would love to try Gingerbread!
I would love to try Eggnog! Sounds very interesting!
I would love to try the Mulled Cider
bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
I’d like the sample snow
henglish @ nb.sympatico.ca
I’d like to try Christmas Tree.
Nothing beats the smell of a Christmas Tree for me – it justs reminds me so much of Christmas.
Snow and eggnog would be my top picks to try 🙂
Snow and Christmas tree..
Mistletoe scent
Honestly, I’d like them all, but I think Christmas Tree would be my first choice.
gingerbread 🙂
mmm eggnog
I would like to try the gingerbread one