Scents of Christmas: Frankincense, Myrrh, and Peppermint

Frankincense, Myrrh, and Peppermint...which scent do you prefer? That's just one of the questions to ask when Christmas comes around.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year for me, because it is the celebration of Jesus' birth. He came to redeem us from our sins and give us eternal life. I love to celebrate his birthday and part of celebrating Christ's birthday includes the wonderful scents of the Christmas season. What are those scents? Remember the wise men in the Bible that followed the star that led them to where the baby Jesus was born in the manger? Each wise man brought a gift to lie at Jesus' feet to honor the true king of kings. One king brought gold, another brought frankincense, and the third brought myrrh. Gold was given because it is fitting for a king, frankincense was given because it was one of the most expensive oils at that time, and myrrh was given because Jesus was going to die for all of our sins. Myrrh probably was used on Jesus' body before he was put in the tomb.

All three gifts were very important and significant in Jesus' life. During the Christmas season there are also other scents that we associate with this time of year, such as cinnamon, the wonderful scent of pine, and peppermint. I love these scents as well.

Cinnamon sticks in a pot warming on the stove, pine scented tarts warming in a tart burner, or a peppermint candle glimmering on a table, all make for a wonderful aroma of Christmas filling your home.

Peppermint oil is very fresh and the scent of it reminds me of candy canes. Cinnamon sticks warming in a pot reminds me of cinnamon tea, and the scent of pine reminds me of the beautiful Christmas trees that many people have in their homes at Christmas time.

By far, one of my favorite scents at Christmas time is frankincense. This fragrance has such a rich smell to it. Frankincense oil comes from the sap of the frankincense tree and has been used for many thousands of years. The frankincense tree has the greatest association with spiritual practice of any plant on earth. In most of the great ancient cultures, such as the Persian, Hebrew, Greek and Roman, and Egypt civilizations, frankincense has played a role in religious and domestic life. Frankincense has been sought after by kings and valued as much as gold. I love to put a small amount of frankincense oil in a burner, and then let the scent permeate my home.

Peppermint, an herb which comes from the Agonis Flexuosa tree, is a hybrid mint and is a cross between watermint (Mentha aquatica) and spearmint (Mentha spicata).

Peppermint has a strong, clean, and fresh smell. You can put 1-2 drops of peppermint essential oil in a tart burner to make your home smell like a candy cane wonderland.

I have found that peppermint oil is so refreshing during the Christmas season. Whatever scent you choose, peppermint oil is a wonderful way to make your home smell fresh and seasonal.

When you are celebrating Christmas this year, why not fill your home with frankincense, myrrh, peppermint, pine, or cinnamon? These are distinctive scents that you can enjoy year after year.

You can find these essential oils of peppermint, frankincense, myrrh, pine, and cinnamon on eBay.com, Amazon.com and range in price from $1.00-$35.00.

Merry Christmas!