IT’S beginning to smell a lot like Christmas. From traditional English wassail and gingerbread houses to scented candles and pumpkin spice latte, the end-of-year holiday season is full of intoxicating tastes and aromas that chase the dreariness of winter.

Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger are among the main spices that work magic in a wide variety of dishes, add zingy twists to classic beverages and fill homes with delicious aromas. They also contain healthful properties.

In the contrast to the refreshing herbs ideal for spring and summertime, traditional Christmas spices are heady, warm and woody.

Start with cinnamon, the signature Christmas spice that comes from tropical trees.

The leaves and inner bark are used to make cinnamon oil and cinnamon sticks. Humans have been using cinnamon as a spice for thousands of years, both for its fragrance and medicinal value.

Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia) is the most common species of cinnamon worldwide. It’s sometimes called Chinese cinnamon because the tree originated in southern China. The cassia bark is hard to break into small pieces. Its flavor is sweet and spicy with a mild aroma.

In traditional Chinese medicine, cassia is used to improve peripheral circulation and correct imbalances in the body.

The other popular variety is Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), or true cinnamon, which originated in Sri Lanka. Its bark is thin and fragile, easy to break into small pieces. It has light brown color and a subtle sweet taste.

In contrast to cassia, Ceylon cinnamon has a much lower level of the moderately toxic blood-thinning agent coumarin. It is ideal in hot drinks such as coffee, hot chocolate and eggnog. It’s also the more popular variety of cinnamon used in Europe.

Cinnamon is essential in a long list of Christmas recipes, from mulled wine to apple pies.

DIY cinnamon ornaments

For those who enjoy the annual ritual of decorating a Christmas tree, cinnamon can be an aromatic ornament.

All you need is applesauce and ground cinnamon. First, preheat an oven to 93 degrees Celsius (200 degrees Fahrenheit). In a bowl, add one cup of applesauce to one cup of ground cinnamon and mix well until it forms a sort of dough.

Sprinkle ground cinnamon on a work surface and roll out the dough, using as much extra cinnamon as required to prevent sticking. With your favorite cookie cutters, cut the dough and place the pieces on a baking sheet. Poke holes in the tops of the ornaments so strings can be attached later. Bake in the oven for about two hours, or until the ornaments harden.

Then attach strings through the holes and hang the ornaments on the tree. If you want stronger aroma, you can add a drop or two of cinnamon oil, and glitter can also be added to the figures before baking.

Clove is another ancient spice. It originated in Indonesia and was once treasured by the ancient Romans. The spice comes from the dried flower buds of a tree called Syzygium aromaticum, which has a sharp, bitter taste.

Clove is a common spice in Asian cuisines, adding strong flavor to meats and fruits. It also has medicinal uses, such as temporary relief from tooth pain.

Cloves can be used whole or ground, but be sparing because the strong fragrance can be overwhelming in cooking.

Orange clove pomander is a traditional Christmas decoration made by inserting cloves into oranges in various patterns like stripes and swirls. The oranges are then rolled in a mix of ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and orrisroot powder, which acts as preservative, and left to sit in a warm place until they are dry and harden a bit. The pomanders add an orange-spicy fragrance to a room and it looks very festive.

DIY stove potpourri

There are various ways to fill a room with the fragrances of Christmas spices, including scented candles and diffuser oils. Stove potpourri is an easy alternative.

The keys to creating the scent of Christmas are cinnamon and citrus. In a large pot, toss a few orange slices, a couple of cinnamon sticks broken in half and a few cloves. Just add water and let it simmer over low heat on the stove for as long as you wish, adding water to prevent the pot from getting burnt.

For a simple homemade gift for friends, fill a glass jar with dried orange peel, cinnamon sticks and cloves.

Ginger is a favorite spice used around the world in many different cuisines. Fresh ginger enhances the flavor of savory dishes, especially meats, and is used in some traditional Chinese desserts and teas. Ginger also is the star of old Christmas favorites like gingerbread and gingersnaps.

DIY ground ginger at home

If you have an overabundance of fresh ginger roots in the fridge, it’s a simple process to turn some of them into dry ginger.

Rinse the roots in water and peel off the dirty skin. Slice the ginger thinly and evenly, then spread the slices on a tray and dehydrate at a low temperature until all the pieces are dry and crisp. You can grind the dried ginger with either an old-fashioned mortar and pestle or a faster food processor. Ginger powder should be stored in sealed jars, away from heat and light.

Nutmeg is a kernel from the Myristica fragrans tree, native to Indonesia. It is a sweet, almost musky flavored spice that goes well in cakes, cookies and milk-based drinks. The dried covering of the seed is spice called mace.

Freshly grated nutmeg is often added as the last step of cooking to retain most of the aroma and spicy flavor.

Star anise is an elegantly shaped spice, native to Vietnam and southwestern China. The eight-pronged pericarp of the fruit from Illicium velumnd is one of the Chinese “five spices” and commonly used in meat dishes.

But whole star anise has a very strong flavor, and you need to be sparing in its use.

The star anise is used in the Vietnamese noodle dish pho and in French-style mulled wine, or vin chaud, which also uses cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and citrus.

Cardamom comes from the same family as ginger and turmeric. Good quality cardamom pods are pale green in color, with sticky black seeds inside.

The cardamom is very aromatic and works well in sweet and savory dishes, Indian cuisine, Nordic baked goods and Middle Eastern specialties.

Cardamom wreath is a traditional Christmas bread that highlights the flavor of the spice.

Allspice is the dried fruit of a plant that grows in Jamaica and has the fragrance of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, all wrapped in one.

The brown, peppercorn-shaped spice is a key ingredient in Caribbean cuisine and in various desserts.