Make your home smell like Christmas with this Simmering Christmas Potpourri. Use your stovetop or slow cooker to warm your house with holiday scents. Package it up and It makes a great homemade Christmas gift idea. 

Be sure to sign up for my email… to get new recipes and ideas in your inbox!

There’s nothing that gets me feeling jolly more than a good simmering potpourri. As soon as that scent hits the house you can find me whipping up a batch of Peppermint Bark, Decorating the Mantle, and sipping on Rudolph’s Tipsy Spritzer.

Simmering Christmas Potpourri on stovetop

Click HERE to save recipe to Pinterest!

Simmering Christmas Potpourri

It’s beginning to *smell* a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go! 

Seriously every store you go into this time of year just has this aroma that puts you right in the Christmas spirit! I had to bring that spirit into my own home with this amazing Simmering Christmas Potpourri.

This seasonal scent comes together perfectly with the help of some cranberries and oranges, a few festive spices, and a hint of vanilla for the quintessential holiday potpourri.

Creating that essence that wafts through your home and makes you want to start baking cookies and get cozy next to the fire has never been easier to achieve! 

flat lay Simmering Christmas Potpourri

How To Make Simmering Christmas Potpourri

Who has fallen victim to the disappointment of buying a candle at the store and coming home to find out you can only smell it when you’re two inches away from it? I have definitely been there and done that! it’s so disappointing and ALWAYS frustrating. You just want something to make the whole house smell nice. Is that too much to ask? 

Of course, it’s not too much to ask, because with this simmering Christmas potpourri your whole house will smell like happiness in no time! 

Just cut oranges into slices, cut open vanilla bean, and add to a large pot along with all other ingredients and add water. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Enjoy for hours! 

If you only simmer for a few hours and would like to use it again, let it cool overnight, add water and simmer the following day. Or place cooled potpourri in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. When ready to simmer again, add leftover potpourri and water to the pot, simmer and enjoy!

Simmering Christmas Potpourri gift idea

Give the Gift of The Scent of Christmas

Who doesn’t love filling their home with the essence of everything we love about the winter season? We all love to make sure our home has that perfect festive feel the moment someone walks in, which is why this simmering Christmas potpourri is the perfect gift idea. 

Just grab your ingredients, a cute little bag, and a holiday gift tag and you’ll have a picture perfect gift in no time! It’s great for when you need to give a bunch of little gifts this holiday season. Grab some bulk of the ingredients, split them up equally into bags, decorate, and watch the receiver’s eyes light up! 

Whether you give it to all your kids’ teachers, your co-workers, or as a thank you to your local businesses, a potpourri gift bag is sure to be a hit. You can also print out the recipe card to stick in the bag as well so they know all the ins and outs of how to make the best potpourri!

Simmering Christmas Potpourri in pot with spoon

Tips for a Perfect Simmering Christmas Potpourri

Throw in what you’ve got: This recipe doesn’t necessarily need exact measurement since no one is going to be eating any of it. You can definitely just eyeball some of the ingredients to save time. 

You can also use a lot of substitutes in this recipe like a dried orange sliced for fresh orange, ground cinnamon for cinnamon sticks, vanilla extract for vanilla beans, and rosemary sprigs for the fresh pine. No one choice is better than the other so just use whatever you have or whatever is the easiest to find!

Never leave it completely unattended: Even though this is meant to sit and be left to release the Christmasy scent, you’re still working with the stove and ingredients that can burn or catch on fire. Never leave the house or leave the pot unattended for more than 30 minutes. 

I find it very helpful to set a time to help me remember to check on it. When checking on the pot make sure the water has not gone too low if it has, refill the water in order to avoid it all from evaporating. 

Use a mini slow cooker: If you need your stove free, a mini slow cooker is great for simmering potpourri. It will keep it at the perfect temperature, and you can even set a timer to make sure it turns off after a couple of hours. 

You can also use a large or small pot on the stove. If using a smaller pot just adjust the ingredients according to the size change and enjoy!

a gift bag of Simmering Christmas Potpourri

More DIY Gifts Everyone Will Love

Homemade Peppermint Milk Bath An easy, yet luxurious homemade holiday gift or party favor. The milk bath recipe takes just minutes to mix and I’ve included a few packaging ideas + a free printable tag.

Vanilla Brown Sugar Body Scrub This easy homemade scrub recipe smells like a fantastic dessert and the perfect way to pamper yourself or to give as a gift!

Snowglobe Photo Ornament A fun easy project and will make a wonderful personalized gift, addition to any tree or tie one onto a gift for extra special gift wrapping.

DIY Forest Pine Candle in a Jar Learn how to make pine scented candles for fall, Christmas or anytime! See how to make the painted gold lid too! This candle makes a great handmade gift idea!

DIY Hand Painted Holiday Mugs A super easy way to take a  boring mug to festive hand-painted holiday mug with a little class, fun, and style! Perfect for gifting this holiday season.

Oatmeal Cookie Mix in a Jar This recipe is so easy to make and the cookies are delicious! It even comes with a free printable tag with recipe directions. They are actually oatmeal chocolate chip raisin cookies. The raisins are optional of course.

Like This Simmering Christmas Potpourri? Pin It!

pinterest-image

Simmering Christmas Potpourri photo collage

You’ll Love This Pot Full of Christmas Spirit

There’s no excuse not to start this recipe now! All it takes is a few natural items, and a small saucepan to make a Christmas potpourri on the stove. Make this simmering potpourri this Christmas and your house will be smelling like the North Pole faster than you can say Jingle Bells!

I created a fun little group on facebook and I’d love for you to join in! It’s a place where you can share YOUR favorite recipes, home tips, creative ideas and ask questions and see what’s new with TidyMom! If you’d like to check it out, you can request to join HERE. Be sure to follow me on Instagram and tag #tidymom so I can see all the wonderful TidyMom recipes YOU make and tips YOU use!

Connect with TidyMom! Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest | Instagram

Sign up to receive an email in your inbox for each new recipe:

FREE EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION

flat lay Simmering Christmas Potpourri

Simmering Christmas Potpourri

Yield: 1 large pot
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Make your home smell like Christmas with this Simmering Christmas Potpourri. Use your stovetop or slow cooker to warm your house with holiday scents. Package it up and It makes a great homemade Christmas gift idea. 

Materials

simmering potpourri

  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1 orange (or 2 tangerines or clementines)
  • 2-3 star anise
  • 2-3 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 1 vanilla bean (or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract)
  • 1 small clipping of fresh pine
  • 1 cup apple cider or cranberry juice
  • water

for gifting

  • muslin bag (or cellophane bag or mason jar)
  • ribbon
  • candy cane
  • gift tag

Instructions

To Simmer Potpourri

  1. Cut oranges into slices (if using tangerines/clementines just cut in half), cut vanilla bean open, and add to large pot (or slow cooker) along with all other ingredients. Add enough water to fill pot 3/4 full.
  2. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Enjoy for hours. Keep a close eye on it and add more water as needed (set a timer if needed) **It’s very important that the water does not evaporate completely while it's simmering.
  3. If you only simmer for a few hours and would like to use it again, let it cool overnight, add water and simmer the following day. Or place cooled potpourri in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. When ready to simmer again, add leftover potpourri and water to pot, simmer and enjoy!

To Gift Potpourri

  1. Place small oranges, cranberries, spices and pine in bag or jar.
  2. Tie with a festive ribbon, candy cane and attach a gift tag with instructions to add apple cider and water. Along with instructions to never leave unattended and add water as needed.

Notes

  • Adjust amounts if you'd like to use a smaller pot.
  • If gifting this potpourri, cranberries should be refrigerated if not being used right away.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram