4 Ways to Naturally Fragrance Your Home in Winter

I love nothing more than the twinkling light of a scented candle but nothing beats the fragrance of the great outdoors, particularly come Winter. Sure you could open every window and door to let the natural scents flow inside your home but as some of us live in more urban areas and don't fancy a hefty heating bill come January, let me share a few quick and easy festive yet natural home fragrance options.

4 Ways to Naturally Fragrance Your Home in Winter

1, Buy a Real Christmas Tree.
Admittedly this won't be for everyone as: a, not everyone celebrates Christmas and if you do chances are you have already decorated your tree and b, they are quite messy - less than ideal if you have small children. The last time my family bought a real Christmas tree was when I was 8 and up until now it is the only Christmas tree decorating experience I can truly remember - that say's it all really. This year we did go to dust off the very well loved but pretty artificial Christmas tree only to find that the stand was broken. In a haze of festive panic we purchased a real tree (not nearly as expensive as I anticipated) and couldn't be happier - it really fills the entire lounge with a fresh, pine scent and if I do say so myself looks absolutely beautiful decked out in it's finery. 2015 a new "Sunday" household tradition was born, mark my words.

4 Ways to Naturally Fragrance Your Home in Winter

2, Pomander Balls
Yes, yes I did have to quickly Google what the technical term for pushing cloves into Oranges - my Pinterest account is lost on me. Pomander Balls have to be the easiest way to add a little festive cheer into any home: simply purchase a few oranges and a jar of cloves, push them into said orange and as they say, Bob is your uncle. Without tooting my own horn, they do smell rather incredible and were well worth the painful thumb afterwards. I've popped a few in a bowl along with the home made pot pourri below - just call me Martha Stewart.

4 Ways to Naturally Fragrance Your Home in Winter

3, Festive Pot Pourri
Other than slicing up an orange and popping it into the oven on a low heat for around 30 minutes (Pinterest will provide in-depth instructions should you need them) this is actually super easy not to mention cheap. In a bowl (a pretty, wooden bowl no less), I combined: Cardamom Seeds, Cloves, Cranberries, dried Orange, Pinecones, Star Anise and Cinnamon sticks - also known as a quick route around the family spice rack. The beauty of this festive do it yourself, is that it is so ease to adapt and you could even box some up as a little for others.

4 Ways to Naturally Fragrance Your Home in Winter
4 Ways to Naturally Fragrance Your Home in Winter

4, Festive Scent Jars
Think of the festive scent jars as pretty yet natural air freshners; admittedly they are a little more time consuming than the other suggestions but equally as straightforward, not to mention again entirely customisable. In a jar combine your favourite natural, festive fruits and spices with water and voilà - I settled on: fresh Lime, fresh Orange, Cranberries, a few snippets from our Christmas tree, Star Anise and Cinnamon sticks. To really bring the fragrances alive, I suggest gently warming the water with all your chosen festive accents and allowing to cool before popping in a jar of you choice. This additional step will strengthen the overall fragrance and prevent the fruit from spoiling prematurely.

If all of that seems a little tedious, crack open the nearest tub of Quality Street (or Celebrations) - equally as festive if you ask me.