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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
We are having a big group of my daughters friends over to decorate Christmas sugar cookies. Was on the list of must dos last year but a flu bug put a damper on that! Fingers crossed for healthy kids…
My Christmas bucket list includes making Christmas cookies with Shannon, and twins Tyler and Gavin. Thanks for the chance to win the pot! I love the matte black … black is my favorite color!
1). Baking spree!
2). Sliiiide around the house in those fuzzy socks.
3). Give gifts other than candles this year.
I need to bake your slice n’ bake cookies and gift them to all my family/friends!
Tree is up, house is decorated, holiday music playing. I work in retail full time so the holiday season is nuts. I am hosting Christmas this year- I have my menu planned and I get as much done in advance so I can enjoy the time with my family and closest friends. Love your blog. Happy Holidays!
We love to go see light displays! Thank you for giveaway.
I plan you take a little time off & have some long over do lunches with friends…in addition to all the yummy treats I will be baking. I make the best chocolate chips cookies in the universe (just ask my sons) & my banana bread has no equal.
A Staub pot would be so lovely to use now that there is finally a chill in the CA air…stews & chili.
I am a nurse & deal with the devastating effects of cancer daily…thank you for shining a light on this for others to consider helping.
Before Christmas what I have to do is make one or all of the following for the volunteers in my life – hot cocoa, pancake mix, granola, sugar scrub, sugar syrup, cookies and brownies. The men I live with, spouse and son, are not into the holidays so I try to make the most of the people in my life who do.
Oh, and we are doing the Math-a-thon for St. Judes in our school, too!
Oh my gosh! I have to confess my love of Staub first! I have the pumpkin cocotte and it makes me feel like I’m in Cinderella’s story every time I use it. On my Christmas bucket list: going to a Christmas tree farm to cut down our tree (TODAY! So excited!), making my own egg nog to have while decorating the tree (best recipe ever if you want it), making needhams which are a Maine tradition and are basically a mounds bar but made with potatoes to make them extra creamy, and making gingerbread men to bring to all my neighbor’s. This time of year is the best!
Wow! do some of you on this list not sleep??? commenting at 2am?!…anyway, this is a wonderful idea, and as a teacher I would be happy to receive this. Things are so crazy at school during this time that I don’t get much done at home before Christmas arrives and the delightful smells would get me in the spirit and motivated! My bucket list includes making my Cranberry Chutney for all the neighbors and friends. I first tried this in 1984 (a gift from a neighbor of my parents) and started making it the next year for my neighbors. Everyone LOVED it and waited each year to receive it. My original neighbors have aged, moved, or left us, and the neighborhood is now full of young families that I think will like this traditional gift.
I inherited my grandma’s date-pecan roll recipe and make it every year to gift to family and friends. It is the one thing I must do between now and Christmas.
I plan to keep it easy and stress-free this year. My almost -three-year saga of a divorce is finally final so I can make Christmas just the way my kids and I like it. Baking cookies, (hiding some in the freezer so we actually have some left for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!), playing games, only putting out the favorite decorations, evening drives around neighborhoods looking at all the Christmas lights, watching movies, and hoping for a snow day or two.
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Tiegan.
I want to sew aprons for the grand-kids and spend the week between Christmas and New Years Day baking with them. It’s always a sweet part of my day to read your blog and look at the gorgeous pics. Thank you for the opportunity to win your favorite pot. I love the grenadine!
Never thought of a ticket list but… I would love to make some cookies and maybe fudge that I have never made before.
Childhood cancer is one of the most devastating things I have read about. I keep up with many Caring Bridge site families. Many of them are children with cancer or ones that have passed away. It is so sad. Very little funding goes to childhood cancer. So sad that so much goes to Susan G Komen Pink ribbons but not much at all do you see for Gold ribbons which is childhood cancer.
Would love to win the Staub’s giveaway. Thanks for the chance!!