In-betwixt

It’s that in-between time.

My Christmas eve perfume was Caron Bellodgia. Classical and if you’re looking for it ever so slightly naughty. Xmas eve was doing not much bar figuring out how to vaguely organise Xmas day and finishing one book and starting another. Built something of a fire in the wood stove. Kept wondering why I felt a bit out of sorts, a bit zoned out from the holidays.

Christmas day started in the dark (at least it will now slowly get lighter) eating berries (needed to get them out of the fridge to make more room for the Xmas day cooking) and mint green tea, seeing to the dog’s needs (he tends to be manic till about 9:30, after which he naps until late morning).

I figured out what was bothering me on Xmas eve. Over decades of holidays celebrated in this country I miss snow and that proper Xmas feeling. We discussed this over stocking and present unwrapping. I remembered post-Christmas in NYC in 2010 during a huge snowstorm. Which turned into one of my favourite years. Maybe I’ll figure out a way for next holiday season to be some place snowy…

My favourite gift this year was a ceramic fig (see below).

I wore Arpège for the first part of the holidaying: the unwrapping, the food prepping and dog walk number 1 (the long walk as opposed to the post lunch ‘let’s look at the lights’ short second walk).

A bit post midday (and the walk), I topped up the Arpège with a spritz of Perfumer H Smoke, figuring this would see me gently through the stress of making roast potatoes.

The Arpège that was already there gave the new fragrance a bit of gentleness you definitely don’t get with Smoke.

Interestingly, the roast potato making wasn’t as stressful as it has been in the past. The whole meal was a fair bit of work but got done in the end and we’ve been eating the leftovers for days now, meaning almost no cooking.

Another walk was accomplished to look at the holiday lights in the village, after which was dessert: ice cream pie with crushed pretzel crust and a tiramisu gingerbread house (see pic). I ended up feeling like I’d eaten a moose. So, a night time walk was required. Which helped only a bit.

A spray of Victoria Beckham 21:50 rounded out the day in a dreamy way. Interestingly, at least to me, the incense made the 21:50 a fizzy vanilla, more gourmand than it is by itself, and the end product was vanilla egg cream (this is a NYC drink, at least for me, that originally did have egg in it – modern iteration is simply seltzer water and vanilla syrup / fizzy sweet vanilla – tastes much better than it sounds).

I bought a new mixer set in the Boxing Day sale (one of those things with a wand, a balloon whisk, and a chopper) as my old one was starting to really struggle.

New Year’s Eve is going to be Indian food (I asked the restaurant if they’d be open and got three, count ‘em three, email yes responses). Will get enough food to have dhal and naan for breakfast the following couple of days.

Finally, I was thinking about the bottles I bought over 2024. We’ve done a lot of discussion here on Posse about perfume bottle pricing and what might be an upper band we wouldn’t exceed. I wonder what 2025 will bring in that regard.

Anyway, turns out I bought two bottles this year, with only one a full size (ie, 50ml), which was Perfumer H Smoke (my 2024 birthday purchase). The other bottle was a travel size of Serge Lutens La Dompteuse Encagée (10ml). Everything else was decant or sample. Clearly, I’m not a perfumista hero.

Currently, I’m only eyeing one bottle for this coming year and this again will be a birthday self gift (bet you can’t guess what it is likely to be). There’s too much else (mostly house replacement stuff – the bathroom vanity is falling apart) on the financial agenda.

We’re due a storm on New Year’s Day: loads of rain and gale force winds. I do wonder if that’s a taste of the sort of chaos this year might hold … I remind myself chaos can also be good … sometimes. Any advice on smudging with sage?

Pics: Mine and pexels

  • Tom says:

    That cute little fig is upstaged only by the tiramisu ginger bread house- I’d like to be locked in a room with that! (then locked in a room with a personal trainer..) I do fondly remember show. with the fondness that happens when you live somewhere it never happens. I guess I could splurge wildly and take a cabin in Big Bear for a weekend, but that’s prime skiing season (which I don’t do) so I am sure it will be pricey. Maybe next year a trip back east to NYC..

    • cinnamon says:

      I love the fig. There’s something both attractive and weird about it. Yeah, I love the idea of snow but have realised finding it and then getting there could prove complex …

  • rosarita says:

    That tiramisu gingerbread house turned out to be perfect! Very creative.
    I bought several things year, mostly partial bottles and decants. Two Montales, Black Aoud and Ristretto, Chanel No 5 L’Eau and Perles de Lalique. The Lalique was highly recommended by my French perfume friend and was my only FB purchase. I like it, a very rosy chypre.
    My fun money is all going to medical bills for quite a while. My knee replacement was paid off but there’s more.

    • cinnamon says:

      It was great. Alas, I didn’t make it (or not alas as the local baker Sara is great at this sort of thing). Apparently she found the idea on TikTok… Best wishes for the medical things.

  • Dina C. says:

    I wore Arpege yesterday thinking of your post last week. It’s never a snowy white Christmas here in Virginia. All your walks sound very healthy. During 2024 I bought a vintage Balenciaga Le Dix mini and a vintage Revilion Detchema mini (Tom’s influence!). Also the Malle Une Fleur de Cassie sample (Tom again!). I’m not sure what food we’ll eat on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. I’m going shopping for food today, so I’d better sort that out right away. Happy New Year Cinnamon and Posse!

  • March says:

    It’s been weirdly warm so far this winter which I am looooving after the winter a year or two ago when it hovered in the single digits and snowed a lot. But we desperately need some precipitation so send some our way. Years ago we spent a few Christmas holidays in Florida with my in-laws and the warmth was nice while simultaneously being really weird.

    • cinnamon says:

      I will ask Mother Nature to shift some of our weather your direction. I can’t imagine Florida for Xmas — or actually I can but that has a lot to do with pinch of salt and a sense of irony regarding celebrations.

  • Maya says:

    I thought that I would not like Xmas at all without snow when I was living in CA. Wrong. I love it. Warm, sunny, wonderful days for the holidays.
    I have been checking out sandalwood perfumes again. I like MEMO Inverness. There is no pickle and the sandalwood and other woods are rough around the edges, but I like it. It lasts a long time too. I compared it to my SL Santal Majuscule which is gentler and warmer. I really like them both so I will spray the SL with abandon (the price is easy) and get a 10ml decant of the MEMO (the bottle price is high).
    Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

    • cinnamon says:

      I think what I miss is the weather I experienced in NY. where I live now is 40% wetter than London. which is saying something. I think I just yearn for that holiday in a snowstorm — and the huge storm the last year I lived in NYC. dry, cold air. magical. I am hoping to get up to London this coming year and to visit with the Memo’s at Harvey Nicks. Portia and I looked at them quickly but it was the end of a long sniffa day and I remember nothing.

  • Musette says:

    after a wild drive, heading to my brother’s funeral (I didn’t make it, figuring when I ditched my car TWICE and then! was facing a jacknifing semi… and I hadn’t even gotten out of town!) that it wouldn’t help my nephew to attend one funeral, only to have to attend another…) I am happy to report that we are in the high 40s! No snow, rain that STAYS rain (as opposed to freezing rain) – and this is in Central IL! In late December!
    I’ll happily take it. For as long as it’s on offer.
    I bought a surprising number of perfumes this year: a backup bottle of Hermes Pamplemousse Rose, the Volupte’ that Portia raved about (it’s really a big-shouldered 80s frag – and I adore it! It’s a great one to wear to bed) – and a bottle of my beloved Beloved. Like you, I will be investing in my house this coming year, so probably no sniffies for me!

    Happy New Year!

  • alityke says:

    UK Christmases are rarely snowy unless you’re in the Highlands of Scotland. I could make myself a little fantasy of catching the sleeper train to Aberdeen & renting a cottage one Christmas & Hogmanay. All wellies, walking boots, waterproof coats, hats, scarves & gloves.
    I can only take one day at a time, I don’t know if I’ll still have my DH in a year’s time. So there will be no plans made this year. We’ll have to do what we want immediately!
    I broke my top £ for a bottle of perfume. Lutens have made a new batch of Sarrasins & I just HAD to have it. Call it a stress purchase!

  • carole says:

    Beautiful post. I love your new found love of Arpege. I’ve been wearing it for 40 years or more-started when I was 10 and my mom was given some samples when she vbought some Je Reviews, when we were in the French islands of St Pierre and Michelon.

    I started and ended the year in the same way: a funeral and a haircut. It was a year of losses, I’m afraid. Everyone goes through it. It’s not easy and I’m glad to see the back of this year.

    I kept finding nice things on super sales and so I indulged. I think some things I like will be harder to get plus some entire lines like Annick Goutal and serge Lutens are getting much harder to find in Canada. I found some AG bath products on a discount site and bought quite a few things. Organized my perfumes and kind of packed them away for now-I’ve been wearing AG Hadrien, complete with matching bath products. I’ve been wearing this one scent for about two weeks and it’s making me happy. One scent that was new to me was De Los Santos, and I bought the body lotion. It’s a slightly sweet wood scent-reminds me a bit of Fille en Aiguilles by SL. I also bought Dompteuse Encages-it’s so pretty.

    Thanks for all the great posts this year, and I hope the storm is on the less severe side of things for you. Extreme weather does give headaches.

    • cinnamon says:

      I keep looking at the little bottle of Arpege. There’s something so completely enticing about it. So classical and classy. Did I say at some point I’ve seen a bottle of Balenciaga Quadrille (a mini) on Etsy? I keep coming back to it. And so pleased to see something else enjoying Dompteuse. Which I don’t think gets enough love.