Essential Oils For A Happy & Stress Free Christmas

Ready or not, life steps up a gear now as Christmas hurtles headlong towards us.

And whilst it should really be a time for celebration, the worrying about getting the right presents for everybody, arranging the Christmas dinner, and preparing for all those parties is certain to send your stress levels soaring.

So this year, invite the cheering and welcoming scent of Christmas into your home and keep the stress at bay with just your essential oils and a little imagination. After the year we’ve all just been through we all certainly deserve a stress-free break! Follow these easy to use aromatherapy tips and I promise you will be able to take everything in your stride – and maybe even recapture some of the lost magic of Christmas too!

Countdown to Christmas

At the first sign of festive fatigue get your essential oils and start blending! A soothing mix of lavender, grapefruit and ginger essential oil in equal proportions quickly dispels a Christmas panic attack, and it smells gorgeous too. If brain-fade kicks in and you are having trouble focusing on all your priorities, a few drops each of rosemary, basil and lavender oils should help bring a little clarity to the situation.

Shopping for gifts and groceries in overcrowded stores can be exhausting and stressful in equal measure, especially this year with all the Covid closures on the high street creating last-minute panic buying. So if you do plan to shop ’till you drop, a soothing and refreshing aromatherapy footbath will bring blissful relief when you get home. Just one drop each of cooling and refreshing peppermint, rosemary and lavender essential oils added to a warm footbath will quickly soothe and revive those tired tootsies and have you back on your feet in no time at all.

Spice it up

Christmas provides the perfect excuse to over-indulge not only in food and drink but fragrance too! Spice oils such as cinnamon, clove bud and nutmeg all invoke a fantastic Christmassy atmosphere. They blend perfectly with citrus essential oils such as mandarin and sweet orange, as well as seasonal frankincense, so you can experiment to your hearts content blending any combination of these essential oils.

If you prefer an artificial Christmas tree, try some silver fir or pine needle essential oil to bring a touch of nature into your home without all the falling needles. For a little more variation try adding a drop of another tree-derived essential oil such as cypress or cedar virginian, and even a splash of a citrus oil such as grapefruit to give the fragrance a tangy twist.

You can use the blended essential oils in your diffuser or burner, or alternatively, put 50mls of water in a water-spray, add 5 drops of essential oil and shake the mixture. Keep shaking whilst you spray the tree and be sure to avoid spraying near any expensive polished wooden surfaces. If you don’t have a water spray simply put a few drops of the essential oil on to a tissue and place it at the base of the tree to produce a refreshing pine forest!

If you want elegance as well as a fragrance in a room, then remember that scented candles never fail to produce a totally joyous and relaxing atmosphere. Of course, candles traditionally symbolise the birth of Jesus, so what better reason could there be to use them at Christmas. If you are stuck for an inexpensive gift for a friend, then a candle can be just the thing to bring joy and fragrance into their lives too.

Soak it up

Start the day on Christmas morning with a nice relaxing bath to set the mood for the forthcoming day’s festivities. To set the mood put on some relaxing music, add 3 drops of sandalwood and 2 drops of rose oil to a nice warm bath and soak yourself for 15 minutes – ahhh, absolute heaven! This ultra-relaxing blend will at least ensure that you have a nice peaceful start to the day and should keep you a happy bunny, at least until lunchtime . . .

Next, vaporise some oils around the house whilst you make preparations for the Christmas dinner or get ready for the party games. Frankincense essential oil is perfect for Yuletide and has a soothing and calming effect if the children (or adults) are getting over-excited and chaos is breaking out all around you! After your Christmas dinner when energies are lower and things start flagging, try using a few drops of lemon, orange or grapefruit oils to give everyone a reviving boost. Alternatively, of course, you could just let everyone sleep whilst you have a well-earned rest!

Mix it up

Parties are all about atmosphere and fun, so don’t be afraid to be daring with your essential oil mixes at party time. Some people are shy, so using calming and balancing oils such as lavender and geranium will create a warm, friendly and inviting ambience. Christmas celebrations can even lead to romance, so if you want to create the right atmosphere for this choose seductive oils such as ylang-ylang, rose, neroli, sandalwood or patchouli.

Be adventurous and create a different fragrance in each room for your guests. Use frankincense oil to create a quiet and peaceful space, and for the athletic dancers you can juice things up with grapefruit, lime or lemon essential oils. If you don’t have more than one diffuser just add a few drops of essential oil to a wreath, cotton wool balls, or tissue paper, and place them discreetly around your rooms. Just let your imagination run free this Christmas and you will have all your friends singing your praises right into the New Year.

Whatever you do this Christmas, don’t forget – at the first signs of panic reach for your essential oils and you will be sure to survive yet another Season of Goodwill!

Copyright © Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd 2014. Written by Geoff Lyth

Tags: christmas, diffusing essential oils, essential oils, relaxation, stress