Can you SMELL the season? Here's how.

Did you know that memories are triggered by olfactory stimulants (smells) more than visual ones? In other words, looking through a photo album can bring back memories, but studies show that getting a fresh whiff of a scent from the past brings it back more strongly than visual reminders. For some reason, the olfactory nerves are wired that way--they lead right to the memory center of the brain.

If you've ever been fortunate enough to walk in a pine forest you know that powerful scent of "Christmas"--It's stronger than what you can get in your home with one tree. There are trees which emit a wonderful aroma but even so you can add the feel and joy and SCENT of Christmas to more of your home with the following simple recipes. (They're taken from "A Homemade Christmas"--just one of 39 free downloads you get with your Regency Christmas Package. Just FYI.)

SCENT OF CHRISTMAS

3 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons of ground cloves
1 tablespoon of anise seed
1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 quart of water.

Mix together. Add water. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally, then simmer on low.
Enjoy the scent of Christmas in your home!
Dry mix can be used as a gift, too.

Also, by having this little recipe on hand, you can easily add ambiance to your 19th century nights to make them even more enjoyable and memory-boosting. (Not sure what a 19th century night is? Look over the posts on this page to find out) Children, especially, will respond to this atmospheric addition, and you just can't overdo making memories for the family. Following are other Christmas Scent recipes in case you want variation, one for the crock-pot which is convenient especially if you have one of the smallest size crocks.

A CHRISTMAS SCENT

Peels of 2 oranges
3 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
2 1/2 cups of water

Combine in a saucepan. Simmer, add water as needed.

CHRISTMAS "SMELL GOOD"

1 pkg of pickling spice
1 pkg of whole cloves
1 pkg of stick cinnamon
1 jar of apple juice

Put in crock-pot. Fill to the top with water. Bring to boil, then put on low.

The three recipes were all from that same ebook, just one page, and that book is only one of 39 more ebook downloads that will transform your holiday like never before, and take you back to the warm firesides and cozy retreats of the past.
Get your copy today! (All orders are automatically entered into my contest, PLUS--for a LIMITED TIME ONLY--a free coaching call to "de-stress" your holiday with life coach Theresa Smith.) Go here:
See the webpage and order here.

Make It a Steal!

Christmas is a time for giving. Since I'm asking you to trust me enough to get a copy of my Christmas ebook, the least I can do is give back in return. As I stated earlier, I am delighted to heap lots of quality goodies into a "Regency Christmas Package" so that you'll be delighted, too. I won't ask for a penny more for all the bonuses and premiums--if you had to pay extra for them, they would no longer be gifts!

So here's the deal (and I'll make it a steal!) When you get just one copy of "Regency House Christmas" (title to be changed, possibly to "Christmas in England: Under George IV") you will not only receive more than 175 info-packed pages with readings, stories, poems, recipes, lavish illustrations, additional downloads, links, shopping tips, and more, BUT you will also get: (drumroll, please)

ALL of the following:
1. Fabulous Pumpkin Pie Recipes
2. Christmas Cookie Recipes
3. Great Gifts in a Jar
4. How to Deal With Holiday Stress
5. Carols and Hymns, Traditional and Ancient, for a Regency Yuletide Celebration
6. Holiday Candy
7. Christmas With Sir Roger de Coverly (18th Century)
8. English Housewifery Exemplified (1794 Cookbook--the Complete Text!)
9. "Little Britain" by Washington Irving
10. "The Mistletoe Bough" (a treasure from Trollope)
11. "Old Christmas" (another Irving gem, with quaintness to the nth degree)
12. "Ancient English Ballads for Christmas"
13. "The Bells" (A touching tale of the Season)
14. "The Chimes" (A Dickens'Story)
15. "Under the Mistletoe" (A holiday "Home Sweet Home" from Louisa May Alcott)
16. The Young Readers Christmas Book
17. King Winter (An old, old, German Children's book, translated, with original illustrations)
18. Aesop's Fables for Children (Beautifully illustrated! And not just for kids.)
19. A Puritan Christmas (In which Christmas in old America comes alive.)
20. American Christmastides: "A Winter Roundup" (Heartwarming delights)
21. "Our Christmas at Wheathedge" (American Christmastide)
22. "An Old Time Christmas" by Paul Lawrence Dunbar (American)
23. American Christmastide (This one by Jane Abbott)
24. "October Charades" (Perfectly demonstrates how the Christmas parlour game was played!)
25. Peace on Earth, Good Will to Dogs (A hilarious American tale)
26. "The Old Peabody Pew" (Another offering of Christmas Americana)
27. "Cowboy Christmas" (Old-time Western Christmas)
28. "The Christmas Waits in Boston"
29. "Christmas on Old, Windy Mountain"
30. Christmas Eve on Lonesome (an excerpt)
31. The Famous "Unfinished Christmas Story"
32. Red-Robin ("The effect was very Christmasy")

HAD ENOUGH, YET? Wait, there's more!

33. 115 Gift-Giving Tips
34. The Big Book of Christmas Tales (35 more stories for hearth-side pleasure)
35. Christmas Song Book (22 Carols including musical scores)
36. 50 Great Christmas Decorating Ideas on a Budget
37. Fun Craft Projects
38. A Read-Aloud Book of Children's Fables

And that's not all--right now I'm in the process of working with people to get even more freebies!
My next post will have more details on them, as well as suggestions on how, exactly, to use all this great stuff!

Have Yourself a Remarkably Regency Yuletide

Everyone wants Christmas to be special. Memorable. Wonderful.
And why not? It only comes once a year.

The best way to have a special Christmas is to surround yourself with people who love you.
I can't supply those people for you.

What I can offer is a compendium of Christmases past. A book stuffed with beauty and history, lavish illustrations, and a baker's dozen of downloadable delights to enhance your Christmas this year, wherever and whoever you are.

The warmth of fireside tales,
The delight of authentic old-English wassail,
Parlour games you can play today,
Christmas recipes fit for a feast,
Plum-pudding (with an easy-fix option your child could make )

Poetry, sacred and not;
Hymns; Snippets; Excerpts; Illustrations.

Is your Christmas Spirit lagging?
Has it failed to show up at all?
Regency House Christmas: Your Guide to a Remarkably Regency Yuletide will revive you, heart and soul!

You will discover wonderful facts about Christmases at the turn of the 19th Century in England--
When Dickens was a child,
Queen Victoria was only a baby,
and Jane Austen was just writing her most famous work.

Read about: Christmas Merriments,
Entertainments, Parlour Games, Church Special Days, The Christmas Feast, Fireside Stories, Early Christmas Charities
Plus links, websites, shopping tips, an index, and more!

Regency House Christmas: Your Guide to a Remarkably Regency Yuletide!
is a gift that keeps on giving.
There are eight additional ebooks within this one book,
AND, as new material is discovered and added to the book, you will receive new copies, without ever having to spend another cent! That's right, new editions are absolutely free!

Also: CONTEST starting October 18th! Stay tuned for details.