This post was sponsored by Air Wick as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.

What scents remind you of home, and the holidays? There are so many for me. Cinnamon is a big one because my mom, my sisters, and I used to make homemade ornaments each year and we’d pour cinnamon in the salt dough, like there was no tomorrow!

I’m blessed to live in the old farmhouse that I grew up in. Most folks, move away from home and only get to visit every once in awhile. Trying to find those feelings of home and comfort in a brand new place can be really hard…especially during the holidays.

When family comes, we should welcome them with things that remind them that they’re back home. Things they remember from their childhood. Scents can play SUCH a big role in that! Scents spark happy memories! Holiday scents are one of the tips I use below, to help make Christmas cozy for your family and friends this season!

4 Tips to Make Christmas Cozy This Year…

1. Smell good holiday scents.

As soon as we walk through the door, something that smells good is usually the first thing we notice! I love it when someone comes through the door and says, “Oooohhh, what’s that smell?!?!”

With scents like Spiced Apple Crumble, Snowflake Vanilla Cookie, Emerald Woodland, and Berry Cool Winter you can’t go wrong. These are from the Life Scents Collection by Air Wick. Each is available in plugin refills, Freshmatic® Auto Spray Refills as well as candle and wax melts in select fragrances, you’re sure to find something that strikes a chord no matter your home décor.

2. Pretty holiday decor.

Place a few Christmas decorations on your front porch or a wintry wreath on the door! Let some Christmas decor be the first thing they see when they arrive. This instantly puts everyone in a festive mood!

3. Christmas music.

You know it!! Everyone loves a little Christmas music! I have a couple of playlists that are my favorite. Some are just instrumental and others are the oldie classics, like Bing Crosby!

4. Holiday traditional food.

Prepare some of your family tradition food favorites. Maybe it’s grandma’s banana pudding recipe that you only make once a year. Or that fudge pecan pie that your sister in law ooohs and aaaahs over every Christmas! Or the mulled cider recipe that your mom used to make every year!

Give the Gift of Home – Sometimes It’s the Sweetest Gift of All!

Air Wick wants everyone to feel like they’re home and they’ve created this “Give The Gift of Home” video for those who are missing home the most. It’s such a heartwarming video! This video brought tears to my eyes, literally! It’s just amazing to me, how much power there is in the scents that we associate with home.

In celebration of the new Life Scents Holiday Collection, Air Wick is donating $250,000 through a portion of their profits to benefit families in partnership with Habitat for Humanity International!

The new Life Scents Collection from Air Wick smell absolutely wonderful. Each is multi-layered so you get several scents in one. The new Life Scents Collection is also the perfect way to give someone the gift of Home this holiday! If they’re missing home, choose the scents that will remind them of home the most!

What scents remind you of home?

4 Holiday Entertaining Tips
to Save Your Time & Sanity

Holiday entertaining can be so stressful. Honestly. Don’t we all already have enough to be stressed out about? Without the worries of cooking, cleaning, decorating, wrapping, shopping, and the list goes on and on! Our Moms Check In Moms have some useful tips – some that we hope will make your Christmas entertaining a little less stressful.

“One day I will host (maybe) but I love attending! I say always be prepared and never go empty handed. I always make sure to bring something whether it is a hostess gift, a dish or dessert or a bottle of wine. Just to say thanks. You rock. And you are braver than I am for hosting.”

– Amanda is the mom to Joshua and owns It’s a Fabulous Life. If you are looking for a one stop place for all things mom, It’s a Fabulous Life is it! Full of recipes, fashion, DIY projects, recipes and parenting articles it’s the place for all of Mom’s favorites to come together! Follow her on Twitter here!

“Our holiday dinners are always VERY casual. We have a fairly large family and the house is always full of people. My biggest entertaining tip is to worry less about making your home look perfect for guests and think about ways to make your time spent with family and friends more enjoyable, especially for yourself! Consider using holiday plastic dinnerware so you don’t have to deal with cleanup afterwards. Buy a new game to play with family after dinner. Games are always on our list of things to do after dinner. One more thing I’ve learned, less is more! I’m talking food! We always end up with wayyyyyy too many leftovers. Less cooking means less stress on you, and more time to enjoy with the family.“

– Jenni is the mom of one and the author of Sweet Pennies From Heaven. A hearth and home website, Sweet Pennies From Heaven focuses on recipes, crafts and creating a comfortable home. Follow her on Twitter here!

“Getting together with friends and family is one of the best parts of the holiday season for me, but let’s be honest. It can stress me out. I’ve got two entertaining tips. Number 1: Don’t try to be Martha Stewart. The whole point is to spend time with your loved ones. Enjoy that and don’t stress about every little detail. Keep it simple. Number 2: Delegate. Get some help with the food and have every guest bring their favorite dish to share. People love to show off their yummy recipes so it’s a win for your guests and a win for you. You should enjoy your own celebrations so don’t try to overdo it, and don’t try to do it all yourself.”

– Lindsay is the mom of 2 and author of See Mom Click. She shares great deals, Disney happenings and recipes. You can follow her on Twitter here!

“Since time is an especially precious commodity during the holidays, I often serve “medley” meals for company. That means I prepare some dishes but buy some items from the Farmer’s Market or grocery store. For example, whenever I serve Yorkshire pudding, everyone raves…and it’s from the grocery store frozen section! Because I serve favorite homemade appetizers, salads and the main protein, the entire meal is perceived as homemade. It’s a great time saver!“

– Stephanie is the mom to Sam and the author of Spaceships and Laser Beams. If you ever need party ideas her site is the place to visit! Specializing in all things boy, it’s full of inspiration! Follow her on Twitter here!

What is Moms Check In?

Who are the moms of Moms Check In? We’re 4 moms who are also professional bloggers. We chat about a new topic each week. We talk about things from dirty diapers to date night, and everything in between. Moms love to talk to other moms and let’s face it…MOMS know everything!! If you happen to be a blogger also, and want to be a guest host one week, please fill out this form. We’d love to have you join us!