The holiday season is in full swing, and with it come festive lights, gift-giving and one thing we wait all year for: treats. From candy canes to gingerbread men, Christmas sweets come in more variations than covers of “White Christmas”—and trust me, that’s saying something. Behind every cozy confectionery is centuries of dessert evolution, which brings us to our topic of the day: where Christmas flavors meet science.

Red and green—one of the most recognizable color combinations on earth—work so well together because they sit directly opposite each other on the color wheel, making them complementary. Just like the color wheel, every taste has its own complement. Sweet and sour, salty and sweet, tart and spicy—each individually unique, creating a blend that leaves you wanting more. Take cacao, for example. It’s naturally bitter (spoken from the experience of a little girl who naively believed her brother when he claimed that it tasted “just like milk chocolate”), but once that bitterness meets the icy chill of peppermint, something magical happens. 

This combo is not only delicious—it’s historical. When Europeans brought South American cacao home in the 1500s, they began to pair it with readily available mint to counter the beans’ bitterness. Fast forward to the mid-20th century, when Henry Kessler developed the chocolate-covered peppermint cake in York, Pennsylvania (aka the York Peppermint Pattie), and suddenly the cool fire of peppermint plus the rich, bitter taste of chocolate became the unofficial duo of December. People were hooked on that addicting menthol punch, slicing through silky chocolate—a contrast that our taste buds cherish.

But peppermint and chocolate aren’t the only dynamic duo of Christmas. Way before that came the oldest spice in the world.

Cinnamon dates back to ancient Egypt in 3000 B.C.E., and it still shows up everywhere today: gingerbread, cinnamon rolls, snickerdoodles, the sprinkle on your cocoa—if it smells like Christmas, chances are cinnamon is involved.

Beyond being delicious, cinnamon actually has a surprisingly impressive resume. Recent studies show that it may actually prevent cognitive impairment or neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. It’s also known for reducing inflammation, relieving nerve pain, helping prevent heart disease, and even improving comprehension. So yes, your cinnamon roll may actually help you focus in class. (Tell that to your teachers.)

Historically, cinnamon was a luxury good—so valuable that only the wealthiest households in the Western world used it, especially during the holidays. After the Dutch expanded the spice trade, cinnamon became more accessible, but the association between the spice and the winter season stuck.

Chemically speaking, cinnamon’s magic comes from compounds like cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, linalool and methyl chavicol, working together to produce that signature warm and sweet aroma. That same smell triggers the hippocampus and amygdala—the parts of the brain tied to memory and emotion—so just the scent of cinnamon actually creates feelings of nostalgia. That’s why a whiff of gingerbread suddenly makes you think about your childhood, snowy days, or your granny’s kitchen.

So the next time you stir a candy cane into your cocoa or take out a roll of cinnamon sticks for some holiday baking, remember: Christmas flavors aren’t just traditions—they’re tiny, aromatic science experiments that make the season feel like the season.