Scents of Fall

Last year I talked a bit about what I love about the fall in a general sense, but this year I want to tell you a bit about one of the other things I love about the fall - and those are the beautiful smells that start to abound this time of year. Every season has its share of odors, and fall is one that has some of the most distinct and memory-invoking.

Cinnamon & Spice: Whether it's in cider, pumpkin spice lattes, or warm apple crisps - one of the things that happens in the fall is that the smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other similar spices can be met in many of the kitchens or restaurants you walk into. There's something about looking out over the changing trees, holding a cup of warm mulled cider in your hands, and letting the scents of cinnamon mixed with apple blanket you in comfort.

Leaves: Remember when you were a kid and you'd waddle through a pile of leaves? First of all - I have no idea why we did this as kids, as the pass-time seems a bit silly at this point. I can't tell you how many pairs of tights I ruined trudging through leaf piles. Either way - even to this day there's something pleasant that I find about the smell that is kicked up when a pile of leaves is rustled. It's like nature's own fall scratch-n-sniff sticker.

Apples: This is the time of year when people who live in an area that has access to it begin to flock to the apple orchards and pick their own apples. If you go to a GOOD orchard, they let you eat the apples as you pick them so you know if you want to gather more from that area of the orchard or not. As people pluck the apples and take a few bites - they end up on the ground around the bases of the trees. When this happens, what you get is a general scent of apple throughout the area... not that you wouldn't anyways because, you know, it's an orchard - but that adds to it for sure.

Friday Night: Popcorn, Hot Chocolate & Sweat Trifecta: Go to a high school football game and you'll know what I mean by this bizarre mix of scents. I haven't experienced this in many years, but just thinking of it reminds me of going to games both as a regular student and as a member of the marching band all 4 years of high school. Some Fridays, there's not much I can think of that would be more enjoyable than heading back to Nicholson Field in Methuen and catching a game... just for old time's sake.

Thanksgiving: Turkey in the oven, cornbread stuffing with sage, simmering fresh cranberry sauce, cider in the Crockpot... there are few more comforting things I can think of than the way a home smells the day of Thanksgiving. Thinking of the crisp chill in the air every year with the warmth of food and family inside our home is a beautiful picture on my heart. In fact, right now I'm thinking about it and I just want to pop a turkey in the oven over the weekend for the sake of having this smell in my house.

Now for the ulterior motive to this post... to tell you about a GIVEAWAY I heard about... one of the blogs I follow - Fashion Meets Food - is having a giveaway of 2 sets of Bath & Body Works candles in their fall scent line up! Since fall is one of my favorite seasons... ok, definitely my favorite season... I had to a) enter this contest myself and b) share it with my few readers out there so that you could try to get these candles as well.

To enter - just leave a comment on the post (link below) telling the author which set you would prefer and what your favorite part about the fall is. For extra entries, you can follow her blog and/or tweet/blog/post about her giveaway on Facebook. Super easy to enter this contest to get some fantastic fall smells for your home!

CLICK HERE TO HEAD TO THE CONTEST!!!