Make Your Home Smell Like Christmas
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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.
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.
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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!
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!
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!
Tips for a Perfect Simmering Christmas Potpourri
Throw in what you’ve got:measurements 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 simmering potpourri 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 timer 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!
More DIY Gifts Everyone Will Love
Homemade Peppermint Milk This simple yet luxurious milk bath makes a thoughtful holiday gift or party favor that’s ready in minutes! I’ve also included some packaging tips and a free printable tag.
Vanilla Brown Sugar Body Scrub This easy homemade scrub smells like a delicious dessert and is a perfect way to pamper yourself or give as a sweet gift!
Snowglobe Photo Ornament An easy and fun project that creates a wonderful, personalized gift. Add it to any tree or tie it onto a gift for an extra-special touch!
DIY Forest Pine Candle in a Jar Learn to make a pine-scented candle that’s ideal for fall, Christmas, or anytime! You’ll also see how to paint the lid with a touch of gold. A perfect handmade gift idea!
DIY Hand Painted Holiday Mugs Turn a plain mug into a festive, hand-painted holiday treasure! An easy way to add some style and fun—ideal for holiday gifting.
Oatmeal Cookie Mix in a Jar: This recipe is a breeze to assemble, and the cookies turn out delicious! It even includes a free printable tag with recipe instructions. They’re oatmeal chocolate chip raisin cookies—raisins optional, of course.
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!
Simmering Christmas Potpourri
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Place small oranges, cranberries, spices and pine in bag or jar.
- 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.
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Hi there, I'm Cheryl!
As a wife, mom, and caffeine enthusiast, my journey has taken me from bustling mornings with my family to sharing delicious recipes, home care tips, and heartfelt decorating insights with wonderful readers like you. My love for baking, photography, and tidiness shines through every post I craft. Dive into my world and discover the art of homemaking, one tidy moment at a time. Read more...
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Oh that glorious aroma!!!
Oh my, this sounds amaaazing!! I can’t wait to try it!
I really loved how this scent put my house in Christmas spirit! Really awesome!
I love having this scent fill my house. This is the perfect holiday party addition!
This couldn’t look any more perfect! This looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!
Hi, Cheryl.. This is actually a question about one of your recipes: Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Cake. I’d pinned the recipe last year and finally had an occasion to make it yesterday. My book group friends LOVED it even though it looked like a failure. I made the recipe per your directions. As it baked, it overflowed the pan and into the oven. It seems as if there is enough batter for two bundt cakes. From your video it looked like their was batter left in the bowl.
So appreciate you advice. I really like the cake and would love to make it for Christmas – but don’t want the mess I was faced with yesterday.
Thanks for your help!
That looks yummy! I’ve done something similar, but never thought to add pumpkin spice. Definitely gonna try this. Love!!
That looks very yummy i am doing my preparations for Christmas 2020. I’m saving this article for my Christmas for adding more charm to the Christmas day
I can smell this while reading!