One reason that I love Christmas is that there is an entire season devoted to it. You don’t celebrate the 4th of July or Valentines Day for an entire month like Christmas. I am already planning out holiday parties and coming up with ideas for new decorations. I do wait until after Thanksgiving for the decorations to emerge; however, there are a few aspects of Christmas that I start early.
Even though I live in Seattle, the air in my house is very dry during the winter. I like to simmer scented water on the stove during the winter to add some much needed humidity to the air and also fill the air with a lovely scent.
The Delicious Smells of Christmas
The items in the simmer mixture can vary based upon personal preference; below is my “Christmas mixture” aka my Holiday Potpourri.
Ingredients:
- 2 Slices Orange
- 2 Slices Lemon
- 1/2 cup Cranberries
- 1 T Whole Cloves
- 4 Cinnamon Sticks
- Water to fill Sauce Pan
Place all the ingredients in a medium size sauce pan and cook on as low as possible on your stove top. It is very important to check the water level frequently and do not leave this unattended. I have forgotten about it before on the stove and came back to the kitchen with some scorched ingredients in the pot.
One of my favorite times to simmer this mixture is on days when I work from home. I work from the kitchen table on these days so I can keep an eye on it and make sure that the water level isn’t too low. Sometimes I will put it on the stove during the weekends as well if I am working in the kitchen and know that I can check on it.
The cranberries will pop as they cook, and I find that their scent comes through much more once this happens. This Holiday Potpourri recipe is easy to adapt and add particular scents as it goes.
Do you ever simmer spices on the stove during the year? What are your favorite combinations? I think this one truly smells like Christmas!!
Partying Here: Twirl and Take a Bow
This sounds delicious! I’ve never tried making potpourri before
Need to make this soon! Thank you!
I need to do this! Thanks for sharing!
This sounds amazing!
Oh my gosh, I bet this is absolutely amazing!
I’ve always wanted to try doing this!! I will let you know how it goes!
YUM! This has got to smell amazing!
This will definitely be on my stove during tomorrow evenings party 🙂
This probably smells so good! Better than a candle! I’m going to pin this and try it at home.
I love stovetop potpourri! I did this mixture last year but omitted the cloves and added two sprigs of rosemary and it was absolutely divine!
Looks like a great recipe 🙂
Thanks for linking up #CreativeMondays
This looks amazing! I’ll have to try it out. 🙂
I tried my first one this week! It smelled good in the kitchen but didn’t fill the house like I’d hoped. I’ll have to try your combo!!!
That sounds utterly divine!
I have never tried anything like this and can’t wait to give it a try! Thank you for sharing! PINNED!
Can’t wait to try this!
I bet this smells delicious!!
Congratulations! This post is featured over at Diana Rambles today and has been pinned in the Featured at Diana Rambles board at Pinterest, Tweeted, and Recommended on G+. Please grab a featured button off my sidebar or via the link under the features. Thanks for sharing this awesome idea!