Those who have gazed from a distance at the Blue Mountains in New South Wales will tell you of the strange mist that surrounds the range. The blueish-grey haze is the result of the eucalyptus trees that grow there in vast numbers. The trees release fine droplets of oil that combine with dust particles and water vapour in the air, and scatter light rays to create the blue hue. That’s how the mountains got their name. Sort of romantic when you think about it.

Eucalyptus is the clean-living, straight-talking oil that’s famous for its wondrous properties; it makes a powerful natural salve and is also thought to be good for mental exhaustion, lifting the spirits and brightening the mind with its fresh almost menthol fragrance. Eucalyptus is a tree that grows curious flowers with no petals and its nectar can be used to make a buttery-tasting honey.

Like a wise apothecary, it’s charmingly good for the body and soul, And, while this antipodean evergreen might celebrate Christmas in the heat of the Australian summer, it has nothing but wintery connotations for us at Jo Malone London.

We have paired it with pine to create a scent that heralds the start of the festive season as readily as the bells on Father Christmas’s sleigh. It’s the essence of Christmas morning. It’s roaring fires and carols in the snow. It’s dark evenings and cosy blankets. Perhaps it’s no coincidence, then, that eucalyptus oil, is said to be a marvellous treatment for colds. A sun-worshipper on one hand and a winter ally on the other. If that doesn’t get your Christmas stocking veritably twitching with festive anticipation, nothing will.