The 2011 holiday collection from Diptyque: Epinette in green ("Echoing the aromatic freshness of its needles and the resinuous notes of its pine cones, the Spruce Tree candle promises a wintry runaway in the depths of the wood."; in 3 sizes $32-$275) or Perdigone in red ("Concentrate of warm and fruity notes around a spiced plum that deliciously perfumes the house. Absolutely comforting in the depths of winter."; in 2 sizes $32-68)...

If you are sick of being sick this winter, you are not alone. Flu season started early in the more populous parts of the United States, Canada and the U.K., with several urban centers reporting up to six times the normal number of confirmed influenza cases by late December 2010. Doctors and heath practitioners in North America are also seeing more viral gastroenteritis and strep throat cases this year. Vaccine numbers are down, hospital admissions for children and the elderly in many areas are up, and with all the storms and frigid temperatures some of us have experienced, we're trapped inside our homes, schools and workplaces with miserable, germy companions. My extended family spent the holidays passing around a virulent Norovirus. The infection casualties totaled 21 people. Since then my household has seen one bout of hacking cough, two solid weeks of influenza (four consecutive cases, with the result that I also came down with cabin fever), an infant ear infection, two cases of eczema and one four-year-old who apparently needs more liquids and fiber in her diet. The heat rash and insect bites of summer can't come soon enough.

Being a perfumista doubles the despondency of a stuffed nose. Two or three days last month, I was unable to smell anything properly and I was bereft. During a voluntary fragrance break, you still have access to other scented comforts: food, fresh air, scotch whisky. The last few bad colds I've had have served to remind me how much I've come to rely on my sense of smell to give color and focus to each day. Every time the congestion has passed, even if I'm still suffering from other symptoms, I've returned to my life and my perfume cabinet with glee and relief. The world is in HD again.

There are a number of different approaches to perfuming your convalescence...

Italian niche line Santa Maria Novella has launched Ottone and Porcellana, two new fragrances to mark the house's upcoming 400th anniversary:

The selection of the names reflects the Officina’s return to countries where it was known in the 18th century...

It was puzzling, though, that my parents kept returning there. "Table wines are cheaper than Coke," my father explained, when I asked why they kept going back. (Perhaps this brief, thrift-related response helps clarify that my parents are not of Italian descent and therefore returning to visit the mother country; Scotland is the land of our fathers.) Since my parents are not enthusiastic photographers, I tried to determine the attraction of this region listening to stories of their travels...

From Santa Maria Novella, Latte per il Corpo Uomo - Body Milk for Men (shown at left): "This 700 year old formula, containing hydrating vegetable oils, cocoa butter, white beeswax, and avocado oil hydrates, tones and gives the skin softness and elasticity. Infused with a subtle spicy scent this rich fluid emulsion absorbs without a trace, leaving even the most parch body toned, nourished, and moisturized - but never greasy." $74 for 250 ml at Aedes...

“We don’t advertise,” says the chief assistant, slightly scandalised.

A steady stream of customers suggested that they probably don’t have to. The wealthy residents of Kensington know all about Santa Maria Novella. It’s essentially their local Bath & Body Works.

Santa Maria Novella — the mother shop — is the famous Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica in Florence, Italy, one of the world’s oldest pharmacies and the creator of colognes and unguents whose recipes have been handed down for hundreds of years...

Or so I think. Santa Maria Novella’s description of Marescialla reads: “This unusual perfume was created by a French noblewoman, the Countess D'Aumont, wife of a Marshal of France, who used it to scent her gloves. It is said that because of her interest in alchemy, she was charged with witchcraft and burned at the stake.” After some research, I could find no mention of a perfumer-witch-alchemist named Countess/Maréchale d’Aumont. To confuse matters further, Crown Perfumery once made a perfume named in honor of La Maréchale d’Aumont (a non-witch) — Maréchale 90 — based on a recipe from the 1600s.

I expanded my search for the elusive Maréchale (Marescialla in Italian) and after reading an opera libretto, a play, some Voltaire, a brief history of the Marshals of France and records of witchcraft trials in France and Italy, I believe she is none other than the Italian noblewoman and wife of Le Maréchal d’Ancre: Léonora Dori Concini, La Maréchale d'Ancre. We’re back where we started...

Nordstrom, so far, is beating out the other department stores in their online selection of fun gift sets for Mother's Day. Here is a great one for Thierry Mugler Angel fans: a black case with Celestial Showers (3.5 oz.), Celestial Body Cream (1.7 oz.) and Angel Refillable Eau de Parfum Spray (1.7 oz.). $119...

Santa Maria Novella launched Angels of Florence last year to honor the 40th anniversary of the 1966 flood that destroyed numerous cultural works in Florence, including close to a million books in the Biblioteca Nazionale. The fragrance benefits the Angels of Florence, a non-profit organization working to restore those items. You can read more about their "Adopt-A-Book" program here....

At loccitane, the Ruban d'Orange Complete Regimen, with Eau de Toilette, Shower Gel, Body Milk and Lip Gloss. $71.50 (on markdown)...