According to a new survey, nearly half of Irish people rate the scent of a real Christmas tree as their favourite festive smell.  Cinnamon is the second most popular Christmas scent, followed by the smell of a wood fire, the aroma of mulled wine, Christmas cake, gingerbread, a turf fire, frankincense and (bizarrely) Sellotape all stirring up memories of Christmas. On the real vs fake divide, it seems 55 per cent of Irish people put up a real Fir tree at Christmas time, 41 per cent opt for a fake tree, whilst only 1 per cent of Irish people put up a small tree or no tree at all. Selection boxes are the sweets that remind 39 per cent of Irish people that Christmas is approaching. In one of the most controversial findings, it seems a tin of Roses spells Christmas for 35 per cent of respondents compared to Quality Street, which attracted only 24 per cent of respondents. Visiting family is still the most popular activity for 47 per cent of Irish people on Christmas Eve, with 43 per cent having a drink in their local pub. It's a busy day, with 37 per cent of people spending Christmas Eve preparing for Santa’s arrival and 23 per cent of respondents attending Midnight Mass. One in five open a present on Christmas Eve. When it comes to Christmas dinner, one third of respondents said they cook the entire meal by themselves, 28 per cent said that they set the table and don’t prepare any food. When asked what their specialty dish was, 11 per cent of people said they prepare the turkey, 10 per cent the trifle, 7 per cent the Brussel’s sprouts, 4 per cent the potatoes or ham, and 1 per cent make a sorbet. Anyone else hungry now?   ^{_{Survey carried out by Rentokil Initial to mark the launch of its Christmas scents}}