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I don’t know about you, but I love the smell of Christmas. Give someone the gift of a Christmas scent (homemade holiday potpourri) this holiday season!
Fresh pine, cinnamon, vanilla, and orange. So fresh, yet so cozy. To me, there’s nothing better than a snow day and a pot of homemade potpourri simmering on the stove. It’s winter perfection.
Last Christmas, I made potpourri in a pot for us all to enjoy, but this year I thought, why not take those scents and turn them into a gift for all our friends and family to enjoy as well. I know, I know, I am just so nice…right. Seriously though, this is such a quick and simple gift, I cannot believe I never thought of it before!
I have customized these cute little bags to my liking, but feel free to use a little more of this and a little less of that so that your Christmas scent is just PERFECT for you.
I also used fresh cranberries and oranges in my bag. Since I will be gifting these bags to Asher teachers tomorrow, I stored them in the fridge. If you would prefer, you can make these using all dried fruits, and then you don’t have to worry about the fruit going bad. For me, the fresh cranberries and oranges make a huge difference both in appearance and in smell, just sayin.
OKAY, and now for a fun/sort of serious part of this post. In keeping with my goal to really try to give back this December, today I have partnered with ZWILLING J.A. Henckels (aka my bestest buddies) to gift THREE readers one of my FAVORITE Staub pots. I’m pretty excited about it, AND you get to choose your favorite color (my favorites are the matte black and grenadine)! I know, so fun!
Staub is hands down my all time favorite cookware. Their pots, skillets, and dishware are honestly the best. I know you guys will LOVE this Staub Cast Iron 4 Quart Cocotte. It’s the pot I use most in the kitchen!! Love it!
While I am so excited to be gifting you guys some of my favorite cookware, I am also really excited to share a little info about the charity I am giving to this week. My mom has always made a point to give back, especially around Christmas. This year, she has really inspired me to give back myself, and today I wanted to chat a little about a charity I think is pretty close to a lot of people’s hearts.
St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital works day and night to help save the lives of thousands of children battling cancer. Cancer is something that has probably affected most us in some way or another. I know it has greatly affected my family. This is one of the many reasons I feel so lucky to be able to give back and help support such an amazing organization like St. Jude’s.
I was laying in bed the other night finishing up some work, I think it was like 11:45 pm and I was so ready for bed, but me being me, I just couldn’t go to sleep without a little something fun. At least for a few minutes of a Christmas movie was a must. I told myself I would only watch ten minutes, but of course, I picked one of those sappy, tear-filled Hallmark Christmas movies. A huh, you know what I’m talking about.
Anyway, long story short, the movie was about a young boy with leukemia. His mother wrote a blog about their journey, staying at St. Jude’s, and the everyday ups and downs. To say that it was intense is an understatement. I totally cried my way through the ending, but even though the story was so sad, it was also very upbeat and positive at the same time. It’s hard to explain, and I am a horrible story-teller, but the point is that it really made you think and be grateful and so happy for what you have, you know?
I really could not think of a better organization to donate to this Christmas. Kids are everything, full of innocence, energy, and life. Knowing that by giving, even just a little, I can help to fund research that can potentially help save lives, is a great feeling.
So today I am encouraging you all to give a little back too, if it’s at all possible! Please check out the St. Jude’s Website, watch the videos, learn about the kids, and learn how you can help save a life.
Sorry if that all totally sounds like an ad, BUT it’s Christmas, and it’s a time for giving, not just receiving… of course that’s fun too!
To enter the Staub GIVEAWAY: tell me what is on your bucket list of things you MUST do before Christmas? Do you want to go ice skating? Bake pounds of Christmas Cookies? Decorate Gingerbread houses? Make Homemade Holiday Potpourri for gifting?
Leave your answer in the comments and I will pick THREE winners one week from today!! Oh, and if you do decide to give to St. Jude’s, please email me or let me know in the comments. I will send you a big internet hug! 🙂
Happy potpourri making friends!
Christmas Potpourri.
Servings: 1 BAG HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS POTPOURRI
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries OR 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks crushed
- 1-2 star ansie optional
- 1 tablespoon cardamom crushed
- 2 teaspoons whole cloves
- 1/4 cup candied ginger
- 1 vanilla bean halved lengthwise
- 1 fresh pine or 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 cup Satsuma or tangerine OR 1/3 candied orange peel
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except the orange in a burlap bag or glass jar. If using a jar, add the orange and seal the jar. If using a burlap bag, tie the sack shut and then tie the orange onto the outside of the sack. You can also just place the orange inside the sack. Decorate as desired.
- If using fresh cranberries and oranges, gift the potpourri within 2-3 days of making and keep stored in the fridge. If you use all dried fruits, the potpourri can be stored at room temperature for up to a month.
- To make the Potpourri, add the contents of your bag (or jar) to a medium size pot. Add water until it comes 3/4 the way up the pot. Simmer on the stove over low heat, adding water every so often to keep it from drying up.
If only you could smell my potpourri simmering away. SO Christmasy!! And isn’t that Staub pot the most beautiful thing ever? It’s really a work of art! I know I have already said this, but it’s my favorite!
Lastly, if you make this Homemade Holiday Potpourri be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
This post was originally published on December 6, 2015
I’ve already baked cookies, decorated the apartment, watched all the Christmas movies, sent out a Christmas card, planned a Christmas party and bought Christmas records.
It’s my first Christmas living with my boyfriend, so I’m just looking forward to a cozy night in exchanging presents, cooking something cozy and feeling loved.
I am a 68 year old retiree who has, for the past four years, been housesitting for a hugh school teacher of embassy personnel dependents in Warsaw, Poland. The house is in the Peruvian Amazon (high) jungle in a small rural farming village. The teacher will move back into her home on 1 January.
On Christmas eve I am boarding a plane in Lima, Peru to Northern California for an extended visit with my daughter and her family.
On my bucket list are:
– Try to assemble meals from what is left in the freezer, the pantry, and visits to the local market for fresh produce. Note: Cranberries hard to find in the Amazon so am unable to use Tieghan’s great holiday suggestions.
– Complete the list of maintenace issues in the Amazonian house. Pack mup all my tools.
– Purchase enough meds (diabetes and heart condition) to last six months in the US. They cost me about $110 per month here un Peru. Cost for same in US when I left four years ago was well over $1,800 per month.
– Finish packing all my earthly possessions in crates and boxes and hauling them to a rented room (most secure I can find in this little village).
– Divide what I am taking to the states into 2 suitcases (each less than 50 pounds) and 1 pack. The 2 suitcases contain sweaters and winter clothing for northern California and my kitchen knives (couldn’t travel without them – allowed in checked baggage.) The pack has clothing for the Amazon (80 to 90 degrees F) and for a week in the Andes.
– Board a bus to cross the Andes (high point on the road is 15,700 feet – higher than any mountain peak in the continguous US)
– Travel to Cuzco, Peru, acting as guide to a friend on her first trip to Cuzco and Machu Picchu.
– Return to Lima to Christmas shop for my two California grandchildren and for flight to US.
– Finish reservations for travel and lodging for me and my son from Alaska who is flying down to meet me in San Francisco on the 27th.
– Complete the San Francisco itinerary (with addresses and maps) scheduling visits to Chez Panisse (meet David Tanis and Alice Waters), Boudin and Tartine bakeries (yes, I remember, I am diabetic), Christmas dinner of French Onion Soup Gratinée at Absinthe Brasserie, and visits to as many farmers’ markets as possible.
– Remember to relax; this is retirement.
On my bucket list? Wander around looking at all of the lights!!
Baking Christmas cookies and watching Christmas movies are on my bucket list!
Love your posts. Just watched your roast video. Great! I have so much left to do. Get a tree and decorate. Wrap presents as they come in. Bake gingerbread cookies and decorate. Play Christmas music. Buy last minute gifts with husband. So much fun!
We are crazy about eggnog at our home, so we are trying to find a great recipe for it and make it!
I am feeling so incredibly behind this year! Here’s my to-do list:
{send out holiday cards}
{finish gift shopping}
{make my Pinterest inspired snow globes}
{bake a few Christmas cookies}
And now, thanks to you 🙂
{put together holiday potpourri bags}
I just love putting together gift baskets for the people in my life and these little potpourri bags will be a lovely addition, thank you!
I need to make Christmas cookies! I also think I am going to make your potpurri for gifts. It’s a great gift idea!! I also need to get the tree decorated, asap!!!
Before we travel across the country for Christmas, my husband and I like to have a little “at home” Christmas of our own, with a day of slow breakfast and coffee, Christmas movies, and a walk through town to see all the Christmas lights! Of course, there’s also a lot of baking to be done on my Christmas list!
Family and friends always look forward to the different nut mixes and candy treats that I make for them each year! It’s a must do!
My Christmas must-do is to go on a Christmas lights scavenger hunt. The boyfriend and I will bundle up, grab some cocoa, and then go hunting for the best Christmas lights in the neighborhood. I love all the twinkly lights!
Bucket list= I MUST make old fashioned, super-molasses-y gingerbread. Yum!
I love home made gifts like this! My holiday bucket list:
-Take my 1 year old to see Santa (done!)
-Take my 1 year old to a trail of lights (not done, hopefully this weekend!)
-make gingerbread spiced peanut butter for neighbors – done!
Those pots look amazing!
Bucket List — Try not to wait til last minute to buy Christmas presents. Hopefully get them wrapped and under the tree in time for Santa!
Spending lots of time with the family playing games and making homemade cooking gifts for the extended family.