Most of us take for granted the mouth-watering aroma of the Christmas turkey and the scent of the Yuletide tree.

But Sarah Winsor thought the festive season would never be the same again for her after losing her sense of smell more than a year ago.

And when it came to handing out the gifts, there was one fragrance she missed most of all.

Last year, for the first time in their 24 years of marriage, there was no bottle of perfume from husband Peter.

Sarah, 43, of Brendon Road, Durrington, said: "I told him not to get me perfume because I wouldn't be able to smell it.

"My husband has always bought me perfume for Christmas, so it was really sad.

"It felt awful. It was almost as if someone had just put a huge peg on my nose. Not being able to smell perfume has probably been the thing I have missed most."

Sarah suddenly lost her sense of smell in October 2002 when she began taking the drug lithium to combat depression.

Although it is not a known side effect, she can think of no other explanation.

She said: "I don't know if it was a side effect but it happened around the same time I began taking it.

"When you have a sense of smell at birth it is like having a disability when you lose it, missing out on all those odours.

"I first realised it had gone when my daughter put a plate in the oven with some plastic cutlery on it.

"The fumes made my eyes water and I was finding it difficult to breath but I couldn't smell anything so I knew something was wrong."

Sarah's sense of smell was deadened for more than a year but it came back last month after she embarked on a course of acupuncture at a health centre in Goring.

The technique, based on ancient Chinese medicine, treats pain or disease by inserting the tips of needles at specific points on the skin.

Sarah's first whiff for more than a year was far from ideal.

She said: "The thing that really made me realise it was coming back was that I could smell the cat litter tray.

"It's not really what you want as your first smell but it was still great to have it back.

"Getting my smell back after a year has given me a completely new view on life.

"I've just been shopping and I bought 16 incense sticks because I could smell each one so well.

"Just walking through town was like going through a scent bar at a body shop.

"It's when you get your smell back that you realise what you have missed.

"I'm indebted to the acupuncturist and I don't know how to thank him enough."

Sarah, who has three daughters aged from ten to 17, said she was looking forward to being able to appreciate Christmas.

She said: "It is a time of year when there are loads of smells to appreciate - the dinner, the mince pies and the tree. So Christmas will be extra special this year."