The Beauty Products that Are Helping Me Get Into the Holiday Spirit

Because I live near the beach in Southern California where it's pretty much warm and sunny all year round, it can be hard to get into right mindset for the holidays. After all, nothing says Santa like balmy 82-degree weather. So, over the years I've had to learn how to induce the holiday spirit for my family and me. How? With a little olfactory manipulation, of course.

Each year at about this time I break out my favorite holiday-scented products and they really do work to turn on the holiday cheer. Here are my faves for setting the scene. Do you have any? I'm always looking to broaden my horizons.

In our powder room: I swap out the regular hand cream for Bath & Body Works Triple Moisture Body Cream Twisted Peppermint, $4. It not only smells divine (like crushed candy canes), but also provides fantastic moisture. My kids say it smells good enough to eat (I just hope they're not trying it.)

In my shower: Nothing smells more festive to me than gingerbread. The aroma of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg (that's what it smells like to me, anyway) evokes warm nights by the fire and The Gingerbread Man Scrub, $25 nails the scent perfectly. Plus the sea salt (which heats up as you rub -- very cool) leaves my skin feeling smooth as can be.

In my kids' bath: They're too young to scrub their skin (it's still naturally baby-soft) so they get to use Bella Lucce Gingerbread Cr�me Moisturizing Body Wash, $15. It, too, smells delish and the packaging is adorable. Plus, it really does a great job cleaning them up.

In the living room and foyer: Until we get our tree (typically the second week of December) I love putting a Diptyque Scented Candle in Pin, $68 in a couple of rooms. They smell like honest-to-God pine trees ("pin" means pine in French), but not in a fake, overwhelming way. And sure, $68 is a bunch to drop on a candle but they last super long and really do help set the mood and put a spring in my step.

Don't like spice-scented products? How about ones that leave you smelling like a cupcake?