The Aromas of Christmas: Four Incense Recipes

Adapted from Pagan Christmas, by Christian Ratsch and Claudia Muller-Ebeling (Inner Traditions, 2003).
Simple Solution
These easy-to-make yet evocative holiday incenses will rekindle vivid memories and sensations of the season, and inspire new ones for the future. Rich with the aromas of nutmeg, fir, juniper, and more, these scents will bring the holiday to life.

Angel’s Smoke Incense
50 g benzoin resin
60 g storax resin
30 g white sandalwood
8 g cloves
2 or 3 pieces of orris root
2 nutmegs
A small amount of fresh lemon rind
A splash of rose water
Grind the nutmegs, cloves, orris root, and sandalwood. Crush the benzoin and storax resins with a mortar and pestle. Thoroughly mix these ingredients together. Grate fresh lemon rind over the mixture, splash with rose water, and knead to blend. Place the incense on the smoking coal
in small portions.

Yule Smoke
Equal parts of:
Pine resin
Juniper
Cedar
This incense can be used for any winter rite. You can also smudge the house with it, but traditionally only during the period from November 1 to March 21st.

Holy Nights Incense
Equal parts of:
Ground fir resin
Whole juniper berries
Chopped mugwort herb or stripped flowers
Chopped sweetgrass
Mix all ingredients together. Place incense by teaspoonfuls on the glowing coal.

Christmas Incense
3 parts frankincense
2 parts myrrh
1 part cassia
1 part mace
1/2 part clove buds
Thoroughly grind all the ingredients together in a mortar into very small parts. Place by teaspoonfuls on the smoking coals. A Christmas scent will follow very quickly!