Remember those days? A melange of scents tickled your nose as your family prepared their holiday meal. Filling your home with some of these powerful aromas will make for a more inviting experience as well as take you down memory lane. Potpourri Recipes offers quite a few blends specifically geared towards the winter months. Imagine your guests' delight when they're greeted with the scent of apples and cinnamon (see Holiday Fruit & Nut Potpourri) or cedar and pine (see Country Christmas Potpourri) as they meander from room to room.

Another way to provide your guests with welcoming aromas is to use scented candles. Not only do they provide a subtle form of 'aromatherapy', but they will illuminate your rooms with a quiet warmth. If you need to stock up on candles for every mood and budget, a great online resource is Wicks End.

Now that you've created a certain ambiance throughout your home, you can concentrate on the meal. Epicurious Online will walk you through the meal from presentation to serving. Their searchable index of 1001 tips from the great chefs is almost certain to answer any question you may have.

You'll also find a number of caterers' tips at the Electronic Gourmet's Guide which offers timely advice for keeping your cool while entertaining. Not that any of us would ever lose our cool. ;-)

As you can see, an elegant feast is much more than the food served. You need to create a sensuous banquet of aromas, glittering decor and warm lighting and complement all that with foods that embrace the holiday spirit.

Best wishes & happy surfing!

The Webicurean™
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