It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas

It takes only a short time of living in Rome before you can find anything in the Eternal City, even various pieces of merchandise from the United States of America. But only if you know where to look, which isn't easy to learn as most Roman shopkeepers do not enjoy customers who browse about.

Several days ago as I walked past the front window of a Roman shop, I thought I saw a small display of Yankee Candles (for which I had been looking for almost a year now), but I didn't have time then to stop.

Scented candles can be found in Rome, but typically these are of poor quality vanilla or various berry or fruit scents. Even in the U.S., I'm not sure another candle can compare to the quality of Yankee Candles.

At any rate, after classes concluded today I decided to go for a walk before the rains return. As I walked by this same store, quite by happenstance, I popped inside and was very pleased to find that my eyes had, in fact, not deceived me.

Although the store only had five or six different scents (none of which was my favorite, Midsummer's Night, or my second favorite, Sun and Sand), they did have Christmas Garland.

It may still be 60ºF in Rome (grazie a Dio!)
and it may not be Balsam and Cedar (my third favorite), but it is now beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.