What is the quintessential taste/smell of Christmas?

[BegoniaBigtoes]

For me it's bendicks bittermints and green ginger wine. I'm trying to resist buying any till December or I'll just scoff them all immediately.

I'm not a massive fan of Christmas generally and find it quite stressful but I do love the food. What is the best xmassy taste and smell?

[MegBusset]

Satsumas and walnuts. And roasties of course. And bucks fizz at 8am :)

[MegBusset]

And mince pies with brandy butter

[BegoniaBigtoes]

Mmm mincies. Your 3kg made me laugh meg!

[ShatnersBassoon]

Chestnuts roasting on one of the brazier things in the street.

[wildstrawberryplace]

Homemade mince pies and brandy butter. Mulled wine.

Smell of the Christmas tree.

[ProPerformer]

Yup another vote for Mince Pies, brandy butter and mulled wine!!!

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Christmas tree for the smell.
Mince pies for the taste, no brandy butter though, that would ruin them.

[Handsfulloffun]

Satsumas, Baileys, Chestnuts and Christmas pud.

I got a surge of Christmas cheer just reading this.

[ObiWan]

Fresh Christmas trees, and tiny, tiny, clementines.

[newlark]

Mulled wine mmmmmmm

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Smell- Yankee Candles 'Sparkling Cinnamon'
A real tree smell

Taste- little clementines with the leaves on
Lemon mousse with shortbread biscuits (don't know why, it's a memory from 1999 Christmas with our DS who was just 18 days old aaaaaahh )

Marzipan and icing peeled off the Christmas cake to be enjoyed seperately.

No drink mmmmms though, don't drink.

[dementedma]

Satsumas and Tia Maria

[CambridgeBlue]

Smells - satsumas, cinnamon and christmas trees
Tastes - stollen, Baileys and roasted chestnuts

[debka]

Brandy.

I started soaking the fruit for the cake today.

[Inneedofbrandy]

Smell is the tree smell or smell of quality street tin

drink is the bailys

and marzipan and mince pies for the taste

I heart christmas and have most of my shopping done already

[TafferineWheel]

yy well-brandied Christmas cake
Freshly baked mince pies
Mulled wine
Nordman Fir
Cinnamon sticks
Oranges with cloves stuck in rotting slowly near radiator

[JoInScotland]

A real pine tree (the scent-less plastic ones are just not the same)
cinnamon, ginger and cloves....like gingerbread
mulled wine
spiced cider (like mulled wine, but made with apple juice instead of red wine)
fresh oranges - our landlord used to give us a big box at Christmas

[ChippyMinton]

whiskey and ginger wine over ice
snow in the air

[Wolfiefan]

Cinnamon.

[oddslippers]

Crabtree and Evelyn do a room spray called Noel, I'm not normally a fan of smellies, but it really is Christmas in a bottle, pine, spices, oranges.... Lovely :)

[GreenEyesAndHam]

Disappointment, guilt and heartbreak.

Just kidding- cinnamon, roast dinner, satsumas, sage and white wine.

[AlohaMama]

singed hair at the candlelit carol service

[BegoniaBigtoes]

So true about the "snow smell" - I love that.

[janji]

Mince pies, sherry and satsumas!!

[fuzzpig]

Taste - grilled grapefruit with brown sugar! I never have it usually but I often treat myself to it as Xmas breakfast (and every time DH calls me weird for liking grapefruit)
Also those orange and lemon slice jelly sweet things. My grandma always used to give me the round one in the middle too.
Chocolate orange (although I've been known to have them throughout the year when they're on offer...)

Smell - honestly can't think of any. Might have to make more effort on the olfactory front this year!