It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… well, at least where I am in Minnesota! We got a little over an inch of snow last night and a chill is in the air.
When the weather outside is frightful, I like to make my home smell delightful. But I don’t always want to be baking cookies, breads, or anything else (and my clothes don’t want me to, either).
I love scented candles and have them all over my house. Occasionally my soul needs something a bit more…rustic. I feel like my muse is about 150 years old and she doesn’t always enjoy all things contemporary. That being said, I’ll give you an alternative “today” option below.
Before we moved into our current house, we had a wonderful wood stove. I would put things like this together in an old pot and set it on top. As the heat powered thermal fan blew heat through my house, it also wafted wonderful scents, orange, cinnamon, during cold season I would even put oils in there that are supposed to help you breathe easier.
Last night, I was feeling in such a nostalgic mood that I made my own potpourri once again. While the recipes for this everywhere often call it “old time” Christmas fragrance, I really can’t see pioneers wasting food simply to create a nice, smelling home. Especially spices which would’ve been expensive for them. BUT, I do think that when they baked, they enjoyed the scents just as much as we do today and if you read my fruitcake recipe last month, you’ll see many of the same ingredients this month…things that make you go…hmm.
For my Scent of Christmas potpourri, I use about a cup of cranberries, 1 sliced orange (I don’t bother to dry it), a stick of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon cloves, a sprig of rosemary (or a tablespoon dried) and anise if you have it. You’ll also need to add 2 cups of water and you’ll need to keep adding water if you cook it on the stove.
This is mine, it’s not gorgeous (not ugly though, either) but smells fantastic.
For the readers who like things a bit more contemporary, you can put the same ingredients in your crock pot on low or even on your keep warm setting and it will just send a lovely fragrance through your house all day. I like this option because everything in the recipe is food-grade, so I don’t need any special warmer.
How about you? Do you do anything special to make your home smell like the holidays?
Where western meets happily ever after.
Kari writes swoony heroes and places that become characters with detail and heart.
Her favorite place to write about is the place her heart lives, (even if she doesn't) South Dakota.
Kari loves reading, listening to contemporary Christian music, singing when no one's listening, and curling up near the wood stove when winter hits. She makes her home in central Minnesota, land of frigid toes and mosquitoes the size of compact cars, with her husband of over twenty years. They have two daughters, two sons, one cat, and one hungry wood stove.
When I put up the Christmas tree, I work for a deeper evergreen scent in the house.
I love that smell. We don’t do a real tree (because cats) but that smell is so “Christmas”.
I do not as I am allergic to many scents and do not wish to die
Debra, I do not wish for you to die either. I like the more natural scents (like the recipe) but some of the fake ones are very overwhelming. I’m sure this time of year is hard for you with surprise fragrances everywhere.
I remember doing that at my grandparents’ house where they kept a cast iron bowl of water on their wood stove.
I have a mini crock pot specifically designed for pot pourri, but I haven’t used it in years. I usually just use scented candles.
I like scented candle for their ease (or even wax melts) but once in a while I just want that natural scent. I’d bet you could do that recipe in your potpourri crock and it would work well.
Air freshner
My husband buys those occasionally to put on the furnace filter. It sure fills the whole house!
I’ve used scented candles in the past, and I have a Southern Cedar tree in my backyard that we’ve been known to cut some “twigs” off of and bring in the house to add the scent.
We have cedar scrub trees here and the fragrance is okay, but sort of muted. I’d bet a real cedar tree smells amazing.
we had a kerosene heater in the kitchen when the kids were small – a pot always sat on top of it with water in it to help add humidity to the air – I always put cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and whole allspice in the water – such a wonderful smell – I have a mini crockpot that I add the same mixture too now!
Yes! Just like my woodstove. My grandparents used a kerosene heater when I was growing up and I remember her doing similar. Wonderful memories.
I do not, I have COPD so scented candles and stuff doesn’t go to well with me. I try to stay away from scented things.
I totally understand. With COPD, it’s probably better to just have the scent of regular baking.
I love scented candles and potpourri on the wood stove sound divine! I want to try it right now but I need to get some ingredients. : )
I miss my woodstove SO much, especially today when it’s snowing again. I may have to whip up another batch when my day (and my writing schedule) are complete.
I live in a dry climate so I keep water simmering on the back of my gas stove to keep static electricity in check and it helps with breathing too. I put orange peel and spices in most of the time. When it’s just too hot to have the stove going, I’ll use a humidifier but prefer the stove method.
At bridal showers when they ask everybody to write out a few kitchen tips I always advise to simmer spices with citrus or brown an onion with garlic because it makes it seem like you’re doing something special in the kitchen. 🙂
That’s very good advice! I remember when we sold our first house, our realtor told us to bake cookies right before showings because then the house would smell like “home”. I’m SO glad we sold that house fairly quickly because no one needs that many cookies LOL. I should’ve used your method!
I usually use sprays, but I’m going to try your recipe- sounds good.
I hope you enjoy it! I use sprays in both my car and my bathrooms.
I like burning Christmas candles.
I love them too. I stock up on the apple pie scented ones during Thanksgiving and the spruce ones at Christmas.
We have a wood stove that I do occasionally cook on. In the winter, we keep a pot of water on top to add humidity to the room. Sometimes I add scented oils, but mostly it is cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange/lemon rinds. The pot is kept full of water and moved to the side of the stovetop so it simmers all day. Not for good aromas, but I keep a teakettle on the stove also so there is always hot water for tea or cocoa mix. There is nothing like the warmth of a wood stove fire and the homey aroma of the simmering pot.
I agree. I miss my woodstove very much (though I don’t miss getting up in the middle of the night to fill it when that was our only heat source).
Thank you for the wonderful idea. We use candles. We also have a few plug in warmers that you add the fragrance every few months.
I use sprinkles wax melts that smell like pine, blueberry pie, sugar cookies, and more. I love the smells of Christmas. You’re recipe sounds amazing. I saved a photo of it in my phone. Thank you for sharing your time with us all. Hugs
Cathy, I have a diffuser and put different scents in each day. I really love the orange and lemon. But I found Frankincense in a store here and I just really love that one. I’m going to try your recipe though. I can smell it now.
I have a recipe for Wassail that is much like your potpourri. I make it in a slow cooker on low, all day. Folks dip out of it all day long and I will add more Cranberry juice as needed. I start with 2Q of cranberry juice, 5 sticks of cinnamon, 3 table spoons of whole cloves, and 3 sliced oranges (wash well first). As the day goes on, or the types of people change, you can add orange juice or cranberry juice. I leave adding the the rum only for the drinkers to add to their cups. The entire house smells so good. It also shouldn’t trigger any allergies. I am also sensitive to environmental things like scented oils or candles, but these natural aromas never bother me.