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I don’t know about you, but I love the smell of Christmas. Give someone the gift of a Christmas scent (homemade holiday potpourri) this holiday season!
Fresh pine, cinnamon, vanilla, and orange. So fresh, yet so cozy. To me, there’s nothing better than a snow day and a pot of homemade potpourri simmering on the stove. It’s winter perfection.
Last Christmas, I made potpourri in a pot for us all to enjoy, but this year I thought, why not take those scents and turn them into a gift for all our friends and family to enjoy as well. I know, I know, I am just so nice…right. Seriously though, this is such a quick and simple gift, I cannot believe I never thought of it before!
I have customized these cute little bags to my liking, but feel free to use a little more of this and a little less of that so that your Christmas scent is just PERFECT for you.
I also used fresh cranberries and oranges in my bag. Since I will be gifting these bags to Asher teachers tomorrow, I stored them in the fridge. If you would prefer, you can make these using all dried fruits, and then you don’t have to worry about the fruit going bad. For me, the fresh cranberries and oranges make a huge difference both in appearance and in smell, just sayin.
OKAY, and now for a fun/sort of serious part of this post. In keeping with my goal to really try to give back this December, today I have partnered with ZWILLING J.A. Henckels (aka my bestest buddies) to gift THREE readers one of my FAVORITE Staub pots. I’m pretty excited about it, AND you get to choose your favorite color (my favorites are the matte black and grenadine)! I know, so fun!
Staub is hands down my all time favorite cookware. Their pots, skillets, and dishware are honestly the best. I know you guys will LOVE this Staub Cast Iron 4 Quart Cocotte. It’s the pot I use most in the kitchen!! Love it!
While I am so excited to be gifting you guys some of my favorite cookware, I am also really excited to share a little info about the charity I am giving to this week. My mom has always made a point to give back, especially around Christmas. This year, she has really inspired me to give back myself, and today I wanted to chat a little about a charity I think is pretty close to a lot of people’s hearts.
St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital works day and night to help save the lives of thousands of children battling cancer. Cancer is something that has probably affected most us in some way or another. I know it has greatly affected my family. This is one of the many reasons I feel so lucky to be able to give back and help support such an amazing organization like St. Jude’s.
I was laying in bed the other night finishing up some work, I think it was like 11:45 pm and I was so ready for bed, but me being me, I just couldn’t go to sleep without a little something fun. At least for a few minutes of a Christmas movie was a must. I told myself I would only watch ten minutes, but of course, I picked one of those sappy, tear-filled Hallmark Christmas movies. A huh, you know what I’m talking about.
Anyway, long story short, the movie was about a young boy with leukemia. His mother wrote a blog about their journey, staying at St. Jude’s, and the everyday ups and downs. To say that it was intense is an understatement. I totally cried my way through the ending, but even though the story was so sad, it was also very upbeat and positive at the same time. It’s hard to explain, and I am a horrible story-teller, but the point is that it really made you think and be grateful and so happy for what you have, you know?
I really could not think of a better organization to donate to this Christmas. Kids are everything, full of innocence, energy, and life. Knowing that by giving, even just a little, I can help to fund research that can potentially help save lives, is a great feeling.
So today I am encouraging you all to give a little back too, if it’s at all possible! Please check out the St. Jude’s Website, watch the videos, learn about the kids, and learn how you can help save a life.
Sorry if that all totally sounds like an ad, BUT it’s Christmas, and it’s a time for giving, not just receiving… of course that’s fun too!
To enter the Staub GIVEAWAY: tell me what is on your bucket list of things you MUST do before Christmas? Do you want to go ice skating? Bake pounds of Christmas Cookies? Decorate Gingerbread houses? Make Homemade Holiday Potpourri for gifting?
Leave your answer in the comments and I will pick THREE winners one week from today!! Oh, and if you do decide to give to St. Jude’s, please email me or let me know in the comments. I will send you a big internet hug! 🙂
Happy potpourri making friends!
Christmas Potpourri.
Servings: 1 BAG HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS POTPOURRI
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries OR 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks crushed
- 1-2 star ansie optional
- 1 tablespoon cardamom crushed
- 2 teaspoons whole cloves
- 1/4 cup candied ginger
- 1 vanilla bean halved lengthwise
- 1 fresh pine or 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 cup Satsuma or tangerine OR 1/3 candied orange peel
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except the orange in a burlap bag or glass jar. If using a jar, add the orange and seal the jar. If using a burlap bag, tie the sack shut and then tie the orange onto the outside of the sack. You can also just place the orange inside the sack. Decorate as desired.
- If using fresh cranberries and oranges, gift the potpourri within 2-3 days of making and keep stored in the fridge. If you use all dried fruits, the potpourri can be stored at room temperature for up to a month.
- To make the Potpourri, add the contents of your bag (or jar) to a medium size pot. Add water until it comes 3/4 the way up the pot. Simmer on the stove over low heat, adding water every so often to keep it from drying up.
If only you could smell my potpourri simmering away. SO Christmasy!! And isn’t that Staub pot the most beautiful thing ever? It’s really a work of art! I know I have already said this, but it’s my favorite!
Lastly, if you make this Homemade Holiday Potpourri be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Donate to help a local family celebrate Christmas.
Make Christmas stockings for our new twin grandsons.
Enjoy the time I’m abke to spend with family.
Love these ideas! Thank you Layne! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This is such a great idea! Since Christmas is a little different this year, & I have been laid off, I want to make things for the people I love!
Things I must do before Christmas this year:
~ Put up the Christmas tree early (no later than December 1st)
~ Bake a eggless lemon dessert for my aunt who is allergic to eggs
~ Dabble in making candles for friends, or possibly potpourri 🙂
~ Find a special Christmas gift for my partner
Merry Christmas ?
Sounds amazing!! Thank you so much Vanessa! xTieghan
I will definitely be gifting this potpourri all of my girlfriends this holiday season! I am celebrating Christmas with my boyfriend and friends since this is the first time I can’t go home to my family living across the country due to COVID. I am looking forward to starting my own Christmas traditions this year, and can’t wait to enjoy the potpourri simmering (possibly in a Staub!) in the kitchen while doing so. Thanks for sharing all of your best recipes right in time to make them myself!
I love that you are making this for them! I hope your holidays are amazing, Cass! Thank you! xTieghan
I HAVE to make my traditional cookies: Pizzelles, gingerbread men, decorated sugar cookies and thumbprint cookies. This year, my oldest grandson said he wants to make sure he is there when I make the pizzelles! Can’t wait to get started!
Thank you so much Carolyn! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
What a wonderful recipe idea! I will definitely need to give this a try. My bucket list before Christmas includes making these little potpourri goodie bags and homemade vanilla extract bottles as gifts for friends and family!
Love that! I am really glad you are going to make these, I hope they turn out well! Thank you Jasmin! xTieghan
My holiday bucket list now includes making these potpourri satchels for sure! But also baking lavender cookies which is a favorite family tradition! I plan to mail Christmas cookies this year so I’m excited about recipes for sturdy, shippable treats. Maybe some of those pretzel/chocolate/caramel HBH bars…I don’t know but what I do know is I’m trying to connect with loved ones in new and creative ways. It keeps me in the holiday spirit!
Yes! So happy you are making these! Thank you so much Savannah! xTieghan
My bucket list items for the holidays are:
-Find the perfect spot to go sledding (it doesn’t snow where I live so this might take a bit of work to achieve)
-Find the perfect pair of slippers
-Bake as much as I can! My kitchen is currently being remodeled so this is also a bit difficult to achieve, but I hope to have it all finished by December
Yes yes yes! This all sounds amazing!! Thank you so much Rachel! xTieghan
What I’m most excited about doing before the holidays is making homemade clay ornaments and watching my toddler twin grand babies paint them! They have been my light through this challenging year. Happy holidays to all, and please stay safe 🙂
That is so fun!! Is there a special way you make them? I hope you have an amazing holiday season, Andrea! xTieghan
Love the potpourri idea! Will have to try this instead of candles. I want to make some boozy hot chocolate and go see some drive-through holiday lights!
Sounds amazing! Thank you Alexandra! xTieghan
I was reading this and got so excited about the staub pit giveaway ? from 2015 though. Oh well. Still, amazing recipe
Haha thank you Lindsey! Hopefully some giveaways coming soon!! xTieghan
I would love to see some homemade gift ideas. I’m thinking about making vanilla extract for gifts.
Ooo that would be so awesome! Thank you Juliet! xTieghan
Hallmark Christmas movie link hacked and goes to porn.
Oh my goodness! I am so sorry about that, Kristene! Thank you for letting me know! xTieghan
Would love to find those who are alone this time of year and include them in our holiday family meal! It is always a blessing to give to those who need some love and attention, especially to those who are struggling more than others!
Thank you so much Dina! xTieghan
I would love to get my homemade candies done early this year. I make caramels, toffee, peanut brittle and want to add sorghum taffy to the list. Have a wonderful holiday!
Yum! I love that you make homemade! Thank you Lisa! xTieghan
The thing I must do before Christmas: Get our Christmas Tree. For our family it always seems to be about our tree. So. Many. Opinions. When we first got married we disagreed about fake or real. My husband said he would have to be dead before we could ever have a fake tree. Then it was multi colored lights or all white. I let him win again with multi colored. ? It’s always a Fraser Fir…no argument there. Our kids (3 of them) always come with to pick it out. After we did our addition, many years ago now, we had 12 foot ceilings to work with. We thought a 9 foot tree was plenty big. Our youngest kept saying it wasn’t big enough! We took it home and got it inside and stood back to look at the tree…he said I told you…and yep, he was right! Out the door it went (we donated it to my brother) and went right back out to get a new one…11 feet tall and we have not made that mistake again! We always host Christmas for our families and also have a large Christmas party with our friends. Our house is always decorated (tastefully) everywhere. However, Everyone always compliments/comments on our tree, it’s always a stunner because it is so tall and fills the space so well. And the smell in the whole house…perfection! Pictures are always taken in front of the tree as well as just the tree by itself. I always insist on a minimum of 1200 lights. While the tree never used to be my favorite thing about Christmas, it has grown to be one of my favorites because of all of the memories surrounding it!
That sounds amazing! I love that you get a big tree, so do we! I hope everything goes amazing this year, Kim! Thank you! xTieghan