NUIT DE NOEL

When my brother Bode returned from Iceland during the Korean War, he brought home a bottle of Caron's "Nuit de Noel" perfume for my mother. In a green and white oval box was a beautiful ebony flacon with a glass stopper. When Mother opened the bottle it had the most heavenly scent. Mother kept the perfume put away and used it only on the most special occasions. For my 8th grade graduation, I can recall the stopper dabbed behind my ears and I felt so grown-up! When I grew up I was able to buy "Nuit de Noel" for my mother to use regularly but it never smelled as good as it did from the ebony flacon. She would wear it occasionally--and always on Christmas--but she grew to prefer Passion and Opium.

The "Nuit de Noel" box and bottle were kept in my mother's jewel box and I opened it today and when I removed the stopper the scent is still there after nearly sixty years!

I checked on E-Bay and the same "Nuit de Noel" flacon, sans presentation box, is selling for $39.95 + shipping! I wonder what it would bring with the box.

The House of Caron is still in business and still sells "Nuit de Noel".

I received my very own perfume for my sixteenth birthday when my sister-in-law Betty gave me a bottle of Avon's "Cotillion" in a pearescent pink bottle. Whenever Avon brings out its "classic" editions I always sniff the "Cotillion" and wonder how I could have worn it! Betty sold Avon so I always had a supply. My best friend's mother wore "L'air du Temps" and another friend's mother wore "Chanel No. 5" but nothing smelled as good as "Nuit de Noel" on my mother!