Ever wondered why the smell of fir trees mixed with burning candles and spiced fruit takes you back in time to the Christmases of your childhood?
Experts who have studied the role our senses play in remembering the past say the memories we form in the early years of our life tend to be based around smells and tastes.
According to a study by a psychologist at the University of Stockholm, sight and sound hold the key to memories formed between the ages of 15 and 30, while smells have the ability to transport us back much further in time to our childhood years, between the ages of five and 10.
This is why a song may remind you of the day you received that first kiss at a school dance, but the smell of a jasmine flower or freshly laundered linen reminds you of spring day at granny's house when you were six.
It is also probably one reason why Christmas for many people is not quite the same without the smell of fir trees and the exotic, woody aroma of frankincense to go with the glow of candlelight.
Like keys, these smells unlock our memory, and in so doing evoke that special warm feeling - a mix of excitement, security and contentment - that we felt as children wrapped up in Christmas.
