Things We Love: Homemade Christmas Fragrance

We've already shared some of our favorite recipes for Christmas cookies. Now we'll make the house smell delicious with our homemade Christmas fragrance!

Greg's mom Kathy loves having all of the family come home for Christmas. Greg's sister, Laura, and her family moved to Ohio several years ago, so it is great to have everyone back in South Carolina for the week surrounding Christmas. They enjoy coming south to get out of the snow! This is my brother-in-law, Mike, and my nephew, Matthew, with the snowman they made last week. We all love Kathy's baking and she loves to bake - so it works out great!

In addition to Kathy's recipes for Christmas cookies that I blogged about before, Kathy also makes Haystacks with chow mein noodles and peanuts in melted butterscotch bits. They look so festive on her lovely platter.

I readily admit - I am not much of a baker. I once made a "No Bake Strawberry Pie" for Greg. He took one bite and chokingly asked, "You didn't bake the crust?" Nowhere in the stupid recipe did it say to bake the pie crust and the name of the recipe is "No Bake Strawberry Pie" - I rest my case! I haven't attempted baking since.

As there isn't much chance of any cookies baking at my house, I do like to add our special homemade Christmas fragrance at this time of the year. I learned this treat from Kathy - it is a wonderful way to make the house smell Christmas-y.

Talbot's Homemade Christmas Fragrance

1 box whole cloves
1 box cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
Rind of 1 lemon – sliced
Rind of 1 orange - sliced

Throw all the ingredients in a small pot and cover them with water. Simmer the blend gently on a back burner during the holidays to make the house smell good. Top up the water as needed!

The homemade Christmas fragrance creates a festive holiday mood very quickly. The scent takes me back to some fond memories of Christmas past!

Here's a photo of me with Ozzie, affectionately known as Mr. Kittles, when he was a baby kitten a few years ago. We're in front of the Christmas tree at Kathy's house and I do love the way Kathy displays her red and green candles in vintage candlestick holders on the mantle.

Going even further back to when I was a baby, here I am with my dad on my very first Christmas in 1971. Yep, I really wanted to get my hands on that stacking rings toy. But I'll smile nicely at the camera if it means I can get to the goodies quicker!

Here's Greg at about 16 months old, opening presents in the middle of Christmas chaos. Any boy with a puppy, a ball, and a cowboy outfit has to be in seventh heaven, right?

If you try our family's homemade Christmas fragrance, I'd love to hear if you enjoy it! Tell us in the comments box below, or share your own favorite holiday scents.