HOLIDAY SCENTS

One of the things I love most about diffusing essential oils is matching my mood or the season to the oils I decide to use. The holiday season is all about embracing the warmth of cozy moments, the joy of togetherness and the fresh start of a new year to come and I like to capture the magic of the season with essential oils.

Here's how to transform your space with the beauty of essential oils—because the holidays deserve to smell as good as they feel! 

I used to be obsessed with all the holiday candles — the brown sugar cookie, pine tree, Christmas cookie vibes… all of it. But once I found Christmas Spirit, I never looked back. It’s a cozy blend of Cinnamon Bark, Spruce, and Orange, and it smells like walking into a Hallmark movie. Sweet, bright, and a little bit nostalgic — perfect for making your home feel warm and festive without lighting a single candle. 

JOY is my “Christmas Elf” oil. It’s a bright, sweet blend with Ylang Ylang, Geranium, Jasmine, Rose, and citrus oils like Bergamot, Lemon, and Tangerine. The scent is fruity, floral, and happy—like twinkle lights and holiday music in a bottle.

I love diffusing Joy when I want our home to feel like the season I imagined as a kid… cozy, playful, and full of little moments that make me smile. 

Upgrade your citrus blends for the holiday season! 

Bergamot is a soft, dreamy citrus oil that adds a little sparkle to any blend. It’s subtle, cozy, and somehow feels extra magical this time of year.

It pairs beautifully with all your favorites:

• Bergamot + Thieves

• Bergamot + Peppermint

• Bergamot + NLBS

Try it in your diffuser for a sweet, comforting holiday twist. 

The Perfect Christmas Tree Scent! Northern Lights Black Spruce smells like a sweet, magical spruce tree on a snowy winter night — cozy, fresh, and a little bit woodsy. Its crisp, masculine aroma makes any space feel grounded and peaceful, like taking a quiet walk through a winter forest.

Try diffusing it with Frankincense or Lavender for a calm, beautiful atmosphere, or add it to a roller for the perfect winter perfume.

For a stunning personal scent, add 10 drops NLBS + 7 drops Orange + 1 drop Rose (or Palmarosa) to a roller bottle with carrier oil. It smells absolutely dreamy. 

Sacred Mountain is my newest obsession! It smells like a festive version of Valor—deep, woodsy, and a little sweet. It’s a blend of Black Spruce, Ylang Ylang, and Cedarwood, and it is just so, so easy to fall in love with.I love anything with Ylang Ylang—it smells so fruity and fun—but the mix of Spruce and Ylang Ylang together is next-level. It’s like a walk through a snow-dusted forest with twinkle lights overhead. 

Abundance is my holiday magic oil. It has a warm, spicy scent that smells incredible with Joy, Bergamot, Christmas Spirit, or Frankincense—like a cozy, dressed-up holiday blend. I love using it when I’m making my gratitude list or writing out goals. The scent becomes my little reminder of the “law of attraction” idea: what I choose to focus on, I notice more of. Abundance doesn’t do the work for me—but it marks the moment I decide to lean into overflow, possibility, and big dreams. 

The Simplified by Jacob + Kait line features essential oil blends created just for the smell of it. The Winter Collection comes with three limited-time scents for the most wonderful time of year. Between giving gifts, gathering with loved ones and creating all the magic moments in between, make the most of this glowing season with Winter Spa, Pink Champagne and Candy Cane essential oil blends. 

While many holiday-scented candles and air fresheners contain harmful chemicals that can pollute your home, these winter essential oil blends are made exclusively with good, clean, sustainably sourced and naturally derived ingredients. 

• Winter Spa™ essential oil blend, 10 ml 
• Pink Champagne™ essential oil blend, 10 ml 
• Candy Cane™ essential oil blend, 10 ml

Try these fun diffuser blends to get into the holiday spirit! 

Each one brings its own festive vibe—sweet, cozy, bright, or classic. Mix and match to make your home smell magical all season long!

Santa’s Soda Shop: PanAway + Stress Away

Silent Night: Frankincense + Lavender + Peace & Calming

Winter Wellness: Thieves + Lemon + Frankincense

Candy Cane Lane: Peppermint + Stress Away

Winter Air: Lemon + Citrus Fresh + Peppermint

It’s a Wonderful Life: Valor + Citrus Fresh

Fresh Gingerbread: Thieves + Stress Away

Buddy the Elf: Stress Away + Christmas Spirit + Peppermint

North Pole: Raven + Peppermint

Under the Mistletoe: Stress Away + Citrus Fresh + Frankincense

Family Vacation: Peace & Calming + Christmas Spirit

No More Grinch: Peppermint + Christmas Spirit

Christmas Day: Christmas Spirit + Frankincense

Happy Diffusing and Merry Christmas!

SHOP FESTIVE SCENTS HERE

HOLIDAY BAKING

It's hard to believe three months have passed since I last wrote a post on here.  Life became so FULL with so many important and exciting things that just seemed to overshadow so many other important and exciting things in my life.  But I'm back and happy to be in immersed deeply in the celebration of winter holidays.  I've been up late sanding, painting, and knitting special gifts for my little boys.  Days have been full with cookie baking and playing in the snow.  Speaking of which, today I am sharing a recipe for Spelt Shortbread that I made using coconut sugar.  Coconut sugar is quickly becoming my all time favorite sweetener because:

* it is natural, with no added chemicals or additives used to make it

* it is organic

* it is high in minerals like potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron - it also contains vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6

* it has twice the iron, four times the magnesium and over 10 times the amount of zinc of brown sugar

* it has a low glycemic index

* now readily available and can be used 1:1 for granulated sugar

What's not to like? 

SPELT SHORTBREAD

Makes 2 trays of cookies

2 cups organic spelt flour ( I used white and whole spelt flour)

2/3 cup organic white rice flour

1/2 cup organic coconut sugar (I grinded it to a finer powder in my Vita Mix)

1 cup organic unsalted butter

pinch of sea salt

Method:  Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingers.  Turn onto a board sprinkled with flour, roll out and cut.  Bake at 350* for about 10 minutes.

NEW YEAR'S EVE FONDUE PARTY

     We've started a new family tradition in our house, and it began last night with the most delicious and fun fondue party.  I was so sure I already owned a fondue pot, but after looking everywhere in our cluttered basement, it was nowhere to be found.  Luckily without too much hassle a pretty decent pot was purchased, along with a smaller ceramic dessert fondue pot, and we were ready to roll!  I've only had fondue twice in my life, one year my mother made cheese fondue, and the other time our neighbour made the kind with hot oil.  Both times were very yummy, so I was excited to try it out for myself.  Fondue parties don't have to be too much work, but as you can probably see from this blog, I love to feed people and entertain so I made many of the accompaniments from scratch because it's fun for me.  The cheese fondue is made from Gruyere and Emmenthal cheeses melted with some white wine and thickened with cornstarch and lemon juice.  You can dip all kinds of things into this gooey and stringy delight, including the spread we had last night of crusty homemade bread, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and strips of red and yellow peppers.  I was happy to have an opportunity to open up and share a jar of my homemade dill pickles to eat with the fondue, along with some mammoth garlic stuffed olives.  

     For dessert I baked a few yummies to dip into the chocolate fondue.  My favorite Maple Shortbread, Maple Almond Biscotti and the star of the night, mini Orange Vanilla Cakes.  We also feasted on a selection of dippable fruits including bananas, pears, clementine segments, and pineapple.  It was a real treat to buy these precious imported fruits for this special occasion.  This meal was so much fun I can't wait until next year to do it again (if I can wait that long!)

CHEESE FONDUE

Serves 4 adults as a main course

9 cups grated Gruyere and Emmentaler cheeses, organic if available (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 1/2 cups dry local, organic white wine

1 organic clove garlic, sliced in half

2 Tbsp organic cornstarch

2 Tbsp organic lemon juice, fresh squeezed

1/4 tsp organic nutmeg, grated fresh

freshly ground black or white pepper

Optional accompaniments:  cubed bread, breadsticks, steamed small potatoe wedges, bell pepper strips, blanched broccoli and cauliflower, seared scallops, steamed shrimp, whole cherry tomatoes, olives, pickles, apple slices, pear slices

Method:  Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic, then discard the cloves.  In a saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the wine to a bubble and then begin whisking in the cheese by the handful, until melted and combined.

     In a separate bowl, whisk the lemon juice with cornstarch until the starch is dissolved.  Stir this into the cheese, whisking until it is smooth and bubbling.  Season with pepper and nutmeg.  Transfer to the fondue pot and set over the flame.  Serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE FONDUE

Serves 5-6 as dessert

3/4  pound organic chocolate chips

1 cup organic whipping cream

Optional accompaniments:  strawberries, banana, pineapple, dried fruit, shortbread, cake, biscotti, orange segments, homemade marshmallows, cherries, mango, melon, apple, pear, candied ginger

Method:  Set a bowl over lightly simmering water.  Stir in the chocolate and cream, stirring occasionally until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Transfer to the fondue pot set over a flame.  

MINI ORANGE VANILLA CAKES

Makes 5 mini loafs (2 1/2 cups batter)

3/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup organic unbleached white pastry flour

3/4 Tbsp aluminum and GMO free baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup organic vegetable oil (sunflower, safflower)

1/4 cup local maple syrup

1/4 cup organic brown rice syrup (or more maple)

3/4 cup organic whole milk

1 tsp pure organic vanilla extract

1Tbsp organic fresh orange juice

zest of 1 organic orange

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease the pans with vegetable oil.  In a large bowl, sift in, then combine the dry ingredients, including the zest.  In a smaller bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together.  Add the wet to the dry, whisk gently until smooth.  Pour into the pans and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden.  Transfer pans to a rack and allow to cool before removing from pans.

WHOLE WHEAT MAPLE SHORTBREAD 

 Makes about 12-15 cookies

1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour
1/2 cup organic unbleached flour
1/3 cup organic brown rice flour
1/4 cup local maple sugar
1/2 cup organic unsalted butter


Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl and rub in the butter. Roll into small balls, pressing down on them with your palm to flatten them a bit, placing on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350*for about 15 minutes or until just slightly golden.

MAPLE ALMOND BISCOTTI

1  cup organic whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup organic unbleached white pastry flour

1/2 Tbsp aluminum and GMO free baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup organic almond slivers

1/4 cup organic vegetable oil

1/3 cup local maple syrup

1/2 tsp pure organic vanilla extract

1/2 tsp pure organic almond extract

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Sift and mix together the dry ingredients, then stir in the almonds.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.  Stir the wet into the dry and then form into two logs, 2 1/2" in diameter.  Bake until golden around the edges, about 30 minutes.  Allow to cool and then slice into thin diagonal 3/4" slices.  Bake for another 15 minutes.