The Smells of Christmas

The Smells of Christmas

For me, one of the most delicious smells of Christmas is the mix of orange, clove and cinnamon. Make colorful and aromatic groups of orange pomanders and bundled cinnamon sticks and place them in pretty bowls or platters. They are as nice to look at as they are to smell. This is a craft that can easily be done by children and one year my kids and I took the supplies to a nearby Assisted Living Facility and did these with the elders there. What a nice time we all had.

You can use oranges, mandarins, clementines or even lemons or limes for this project. Personally I think the oranges smell the best, but smaller fruits add a very attractive element to your groupings. If you have difficulty inserting the cloves into your fruit, you can use an awl, a darning needle or even a toothpick to make pilot hole before inserting the cloves. Just be careful not to make the holes too big, or the cloves may fall out.

Supplies needed:

Oranges, mandarins, or clementines
Whole cloves
Cinnamon sticks
Ribbon of your choice

What to do:

1. Press the cloves into the oranges, mandarins, or clementines, making a simple pattern.

2. Gather together some nice-looking cinnamon sticks and tie them together with a pretty ribbon.

3. Place the fruit and the cinnamon bunches in/on a glass dish or other suitable container.