Hello Book Bums families!
Our sense of smell is closely connected to memory. Encountering a particular scent can return us to specific moments in time. This week in the newsletter we are thinking about holiday smells. We even have a scratch and sniff book recommendation for you. Hope you smell something wonderful today!
Word of the Week
olfactory (ohl-fak-tor-ee) adjective/describing word - relating to the sense of smell
The olfactory system of some animals, like dogs, is much more sensitive than our human sense of smell.
Literary Calendar
- December 8 is the birthday of journalist and author Bill Bryson.
- Bryson is best known for his non-fiction including his 1997 book A Walk in the Woods.
From our Bookshelves
This book, The Sweet Smell of Christmas, by Patricia Scarry is new to me. A Book Bums customer (aka friend) shared that this was one of her family’s favorites, and I purchased it right away. I haven’t enjoyed it with my grandkids yet, but I know they’re going to love it! It’s a scratch and sniff book featuring many of the wonderful scents we enjoy during the holiday season.
Toward the end of the book, there’s an orange in the bear’s stocking. That was a tradition in my family when I was a little girl, but I didn’t continue that one with my own children. Do you add any fruit to your Christmas stockings?
Tips for Families
When you receive catalogues in the mail, you might want to take out those scented cards/booklets and tuck them into gifts or even into your own drawers. Why waste a good scent?
I read a blog discussing “The Twelve Scents of Christmas.” I’ve listed them, here, for you to enjoy. I even added images to the items listed so you might enjoy a feast for the eyes and for the nose (at least in your imagination).
1. Allspice
Allspice can be used to make great, primitive garlands. I love hanging allspice garlands on my Christmas tree!
2. Anise
Anise is often found in mulled wine and hot cider.
3. Baked goods
We can’t really gain a few pounds just looking at pictures, right?
4. Brandy
Brandy is poured on top of Christmas pudding. Have you ever tasted Christmas pudding?
5. Cinnamon
Here’s an easy-to-make recipe for cinnamon ornaments:
¾ cups applesauce, and 2 bottles (2.37 oz. each) cinnamon, mixed well
Use cookie cutters to cut shapes and use a straw to make the hole.
Bake at 200 for 2.5 hours.
~Mm. I can smell the cinnamon already!
6. Cloves and orange
I may put this on my to do list. Mm.
7. Fire (on the hearth)
Reminder: Make an appointment with a chimney sweep!
8. Gingerbread (pictured with popcorn and cranberries as well as allspice garland)
9. Herbs (rosemary and thyme)
I love these tiny wreaths you can make from thyme and use as to hold place cards for your holiday table!
10. Mulled wine
11. Pine
12. Roasted chestnuts
What scents would you add to the list? Would you take some away?
13. I'd add popcorn!
Tips for Raising Readers and Writers
“Silent Night. . .”
No. Today we’re not talking about that silent night. We’re talking about silent t’s. We see a silent t in the word Christmas, but it can be found in lots of other words too.
It is difficult to make the back-to-back /t/ and /l/ sounds, so the t isn’t pronounced when we say words like whistle, bristle, thistle, bustle, castle, and hustle.
French words like ballet, gourmet, rapport, ricochet, buffet, crochet, valet, debut, and beret also have silent t’s.
Additional words like asthma, mortgage, tsunami, soften, listen, fasten, glisten, and moisten feature a silent t as well.
Do you make the /t/ sound when you sing the word chestnuts in “The Christmas song?”
“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire . . .” Is that t silent? I think so!
Hey. Did you know that nearly every letter is silent in one word or another?
Can you guess which single letter is not ever in a word without making its sound?
The answer can be found at the end of this newsletter.
Wordology Workshop
- The Latin root sens means to feel or perceive, which is why we use it for our five senses.
- You can also find it in words like sensation, sensual, sensitive, sensate, sensational, and consensus.
- Since con means with, consensus literally means to feel together, which is a poetic way to think of coming to an agreement.
Practical Grammar
Here’s our yearly reminder:
When pluralizing your family’s last name, please forego the misplaced apostrophe. When addressing envelopes or signing your own holiday cards, the rules below hold. The same grammar rules apply for personalized gifts.
With most names, we simply add an “s.”
Examples:
Taylors
Trinkles
Tofts
If the name ends with an s, x, z (or c-h saying /ch/ or s-h saying /sh/), add an e-s.
Examples:
Williamses
Coxes
Rodriguezes
Finches
Walshes
Though, when making plurals we use the “change the y to i rule” we do not do so with names.
Examples:
McGurtys
Anthonys
Remember: Never use apostrophes when making names plural.
Though I could write:
Love,
The Williamses
It might feel a bit less awkward to simply write:
Love,
The Williams family
Eh. I’m going with Williamses—even if it feels a bit pedantic.
Whoops!
Did you ever notice that the Lands’ End brand has a misplaced apostrophe?
When they were a very young company, they’d printed lots of brochures with an apostrophe at the end rather than in front of the s. Since they were strapped for money at the time, they decided to leave it as it was and have lived with the error ever since.
NOTE: Ever since is correct. It’s never “every since.”
Just for Fun
Silent Letter Challenge Answer
The letter v is the only letter that might not ever be silent. It just loVes to be heard!
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