Welcome to the weekly Perfume Chat Room, perfumistas! I envision this chat room as a weekly drop-in spot online, where readers may ask questions, suggest fragrances, tell others their SOTD, comment on new releases or old favorites, and respond to each other. The perennial theme is fragrance, but we can interpret that broadly. This is meant to be a kind space, so please try not to give or take offense, and let’s all agree to disagree when opinions differ. In fragrance as in life, your mileage may vary! YMMV.
Today is Friday, December 22, and the winter solstice has arrived! In this hemisphere, the days will slowly get longer and the light will get stronger. To be honest, I don’t feel the dark days of winter as I used to when I lived in New England, when it would be truly dark by 4 pm in December. Since we’re at the western edge of the Eastern Time Zone in the US, and also in the South, it still doesn’t get dark until after 5 pm here. The real cause for celebration in our house is that our new refrigerator is now in place — hurray! A lovely countertop “fabricator” was able to come and cut just enough from the countertop to squeeze it in between the cabinets. It’s a great improvement and a much better fit than the old one.
As Christmas is only a few days away, are you planning to give any fragrance gifts this year? I have the back-up bottle of Ginger Biscuit for our older daughter, and I finally thought of something for our second daughter. She loves Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet and isn’t looking to branch out, but she has a tendency to “save” Blooming Bouquet for dressier occasions. So I’ll give her a gift set of Philosophy’s Amazing Grace Ballet Rose, which share some of Blooming Bouquet’s notes and smells similar but isn’t as expensive, so she can feel free to wear it often. I hope she likes it! Our son is well-supplied with the Chanel Eau Paris-Edimbourg, since he got some for his birthday, so I won’t seek out another fragrance for him.
I’m late posting my contribution to December’s “Notes on Notes”, but do read what Portia has written about frankincense, traditionally said to have been one of the gifts the Three Kings brought to the newborn Jesus, and I’ll add my Note after Christmas. Right now, in the Christmas story, the Magi are still en route, following the Star, not knowing exactly where it will lead them or what they will find. To all who celebrate Christmas, I wish you a very happy one.
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 
Have a wonderful Christmas with your family. I’m spending tomorrow making a big lasagna for my sister in law’s birthday dinner – she is getting the only fragrance gift this year, requested Coco Mademoiselle. I consider it an achievement that she now rotates three perfumes instead of the two she had for YEARS. I have given up trying to introduce her to new, but am happy to restock one of her favorites. Playing flute at church on Christmas Eve, then family back on Monday. (Then I get to pack up the kitchen for the Reno!!)
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Be careful! 5-7 years from now she’ll progress to 4! 😉
Have an enjoyable celebration!
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Firstly I wish you & all your readers who celebrate a Merry Christmas. I wish a peaceful 2024 to all, where ever they may be. Thank you for keeping my spirits up during another difficult year. I am so grateful to the community here.
Ok onto fragrant gifts.
Eldest son is getting Chanel Bleu & shower gel. His g/f is getting some samples & a bottle of LVeB
Intensement.
Youngest son is getting Guerlain L’Homme Ideal gift set. He mourns the d/c of Prada Infusion d’Homme & loves amaretto & amaretti so I’m hoping he’ll enjoy this.
DH is getting Spicebomb Extreme as current Spicebomb got way more black peppery than it was & Extreme ups the vanilla & downplays the pepper.
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Daughter-in-law got some scented candles. She loves the sage candles from Malin & Goetz, a US company. Hubby gets a new bottle of Terre d’Hermes and that’s it.
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Terre d’Hermes is still one of my most favorite masculine perfumes. I wish I could get back to the year it was released and buy 3-4 backup bottles of the very first formulation.
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No perfume gifts either for or from me this year. In general, we’re doing just a minimum gift-wise (for various reasons). Hopefully, the next year will be more fragrant.
Merry Christmas to you! I hope your kids enjoy their gifts.
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I hope your daughters love their gifts! One niece is getting Viva La Juicy, which she requested and has been her signature for a few years. Merry Christmas!
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Hey All,
Xmas done & dusted.
I had all best intentions but we hardly saw anyone this year and many of them were surprises so I didn’t have gifts wrapped.
There were some candles, soaps and body washes. During the year I saw some of Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Girl perfumes that have been long DCd, so I grabbed a few and they went out to general acclaim. CUTEST packaging.
One of my mates gave me a Mandarine by L’Artisan. Very bloody cool.
Hope all of yours were Merry and Bright.
HUG
Portia xx
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