Looking for unique and beautiful DIY Christmas gifts? Grab the free printable below and get all the details to make a few of these Christmas Potpourri in a Jar Homemade Christmas gifts for friends and neighbors!
Watch the video:
I’m really excited about this one, because 1) it’s a great non-food gift that I can give to my kids’ teachers (I mean, they get tons of candy and cookies already!), and 2) I LOVE how the free printable tag turned out!
I love to fill my home with amazing scents during the holidays, and there’s no better combination than citrus and cranberry mixed with cinnamon and spices. This is a simple recipe that you can simmer on your stovetop or in a crockpot to help fill your home with these delicious scents. All of these ingredients are combined in a small pot on the stove.
This Christmas Potpourri in a Jar comes with a free printable and is crazy easy to put together. It looks stunning, and it’s not just another food gift.
How to Make These DIY Christmas Gifts:
Like I mentioned, this project is super simple. Here is what you will need:
- Wide-Mouth, Quart Jars (aff) (or cellophane gift bags)
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 small orange (clementines work great)
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves or allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
A few notes about these DIY Homemade Christmas gifts:
- You want to make sure that the vessel you choose is large enough for the oranges. If you plan to use small naval oranges, or maybe fresh oranges from your backyard tree, I suggest using cellophane gift bags (aff) that would be able to accommodate the larger pieces of fruit. There’s nothing worse than having to jam that orange through the mouth of a jar and the recipient not being able to get it out!
- If you opt for mason jars, be sure to use the wide mouth mason jars ones, for the same reason as above. (affiliate links)
- You’ll note that on the recipe card it says “cloves” but in the image I used allspice. While these two spices do have different scents, they each blend nicely and one can be swapped out for the other based on what you have available.
- Be sure to make one of these cute Christmas gifts for yourself – trust me, these smell amazing and you’ll be glad you did. This recipe works beautifully in the slow cooker, too!
Ready to get to make a DIY Christmas Gift in a Jars?
Take your jar or cellophane and place the orange, cranberries and cinnamon sticks inside. For the spices, it’s easiest if you place them in a small bag so they don’t just fall to the bottom. I simply cut the corner of a ziploc bag, poured the spices into that corner piece, then tied it with a small piece of twine. (See the video above for the visual). You could also just pour them into the jar if you like.
Top the lid of the jar with brown kraft paper, wrapping paper or any other paper you like, secure with the jar lid band, then tie on the free printable gift tag with a ribbon or twine. The gift tag doubles as the instructions!
For more ideas for DIY Christmas gifts for friends, check these out:
Here are some more holiday tips and Christmas Gift Ideas:
- How to Host the Holidays Like a Pro
- Holiday Hot Chocolate Bar with free printables
- Planning a Christmas Movie Night with Free Printables
I received this as a gift and made it today. Now I am looking to do this next year for others and I am trying to figure out how to order the recipe cards. Christmas Potporri.
Hi Marcia, no need to order – it’s a free printable that you can get by clicking the DOWNLOAD link towards the end of the post. Glad you liked it!
Can I slice up the oranges before putting in the jar? Or should I leave whole? I’m gifting the next day after making them.
I would leave them whole. They will spoil much quick if cut up.
Thank you for sharing this great recipe. I come back to it every year. I’ve given this as gifts to teachers, neighbors, and people at church the past few years, and it is something people look forward to now. It fills homes with great fragrance without adding anything to the hips =) Thank you!
You are so welcome Melody,Thanks for stopping by.
Do these need to be refrigerated
That would be best if you aren’t planning to gift them right away.
I don’t see Download anywhere
Towards the bottom of the post there is a large yellow graphic that says “Click here to download.”
do you have a printable for the cute tag?
Yes just scroll down to where it says “Download.”
Would mandarin oranges work with this?
Definitely!
Good Evening,
Can you please tell me when you make this how long do you leave it sit. Do you leave all of this in the pot
and reheat again the next day. How long does it last?
If you’re going to want to reheat the next day, I recommend storing in the refrigerator. If you do that as soon as the liquid cools to room temperature, it should last a few days.
What kind of cellophane bags do you use for the spices inside the jars?
They make very small bags like for marshmallow pops. Or what I did was just stuff the spices into the corners of a sandwich bag and snip it op and tie it.