Merry spritz-mas! These 6 perfumes bottle up nostalgic notes of the festive season

Be it a warm, citrus signature or a spiced wood blend, these festive perfumes are the perfect pick for those seeking to immerse themselves in the season...

When the calendar hits the 'ber' months, many of us will gravitate towards cosier scents among our long-lasting perfumes, never more so than when the month begins with a 'D' and comes with its own musical genre. Though a winter perfume, by its definition, will carry you perfectly through the holiday period, sometimes you're in the mood for something even more - for lack of a better word - festive. The sort of scent that encapsulates the smells and flavours that are so intrinsically linked with the occasion - like warm gingerbread, a spicy mug of mulled cider or the smoky, rich scent of a crackling log fire.

Thus, to help spread the cheer (and not just because this writer is already very much in the festive spirit), I've rounded up six perfumes that smell like Christmas - or at least, mirror the season in their notes...

6 cosy perfumes that smell like Christmas and the festive season

From Jo Malone's limited edition scents to perfumes that evoke images of snowy fields - the sort Cameron Diaz might run through (a reference to The Holiday, but we're sure you already knew that) and those that bottle up the boozy warmth of your favourite Christmas cocktails, these are the festive perfumes to wear this season.

What makes a festive perfume?

Now, this question is a tad subjective as we all have slightly different interpretations of a festive scent. To us, they're grounded in nostalgia and will feature and play on the most quintessential of 'Christmassy' aromas. Orange, for example, is synonymous with December, as is cinnamon, pine, star anise and other warming and aromatic spices. Boozy notes, like whiskey, rum and cognac, can also lend themselves to a yuletide-inspired fragrance.

For a more generalised wintery aroma, hints of warm, smoky woods and cashmere evoke a festive feel. That said, perfumes can create memories depending on when they're worn - hence why many opt to have a specific wedding perfume, for instance. Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson notes that Diptyque's L'eau Papier smells distinctly festive to her, not because it features any classically Christmassy notes but because she added it to her collection last winter and wore it exclusively over the festive period. "Now whenever I smell it, I can't help but picture tinsel and golden twinkly lights, so much so that I now reserve it for winter wear only - or whenever I want to feel cosy and nostalgic."

Then, of course, there are perfumes that have been brought out and packaged specifically for festive wear to consider - like Jo Malone's Christmas perfumes, which feature a bow and gold-embellished labels. All of these would constitute a 'festive' scent.