You may be thinking “Liza, Christmas is in 5 days, it’s way too late for me to be making homemade Christmas gifts!”.

However I assure you, it is not!

I am going to show you how you can a super easy homemade Christmas gift in no time.

“It is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”

— Mother Teresa

One of my favorite things about Christmas time is the way my house smells. That may seem silly but did you know that our sense, more than any other sense, connects us to our memories?

The olfactory bulb at the front of our brain sends information about the smells around us directly to the limbic system which includes, amygdala and hippocampus, which are directly related to our emotions and memories. Isn’t that fascinating!?

I have so many wonderful memories of Christmas as a child that resurface every time I “smell Christmas”.

So why not give that gift to everyone around me!

No need to bring scented candles that are full of toxins and endocrine disrupters into your home or the home of a loved one!Simmer Potpourri is a simple way to bring that wonderful aroma to life in a clean and healthy way. All you need are a few ingredients.

Dried Oranges (these are also super easy to make in your oven.)
Fresh Cranberries
Cinnamon Sticks
Cloves

Some optional add-ins are star of anise or a sprig of rosemary.

First, and the only time consuming part of this whole this is to dry or dehydrate the oranges. You will want to slice the oranges pretty thin. The thicker they are, the longer they will take to dry.

I have done this both in my dehydrator and in the over and I’ll be honest. The oven was way easier. However the dehydrator did help keep their color better.

Dry Oranges

Slice oranges, ideally with a mandolin. You want these to be pretty thin, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.

Oven Recipe

Preheat oven to 200*

Arrange oranges on a baking sheet

cook 2-4 hours flipping about every 30 minutes.

That’s it, you’re done!

Dehydrator Recipe

Arrange oranges on trays set dehydrator for 115* for 24 hours

Next all you have to do is assemble. You can put them in a glass jar or use a plastic treat bag. I do not recommend using a cloth or canvas as the fresh cranberries can cause a bit of a mess.