I guess I make a pomander each year, and never knew it! I make wassel at Christmas time each year, because not only does it taste wonderful, it smells wonderful! But in the pot with everything else goes an orange studded with cloves. I never knew there was a name for it!
I'm going to jump right in here. A pomander is an ancient form of air freshener. Pomanders you see during Christmas are often oranges pierced with whole cloves. They give off a wonderful Christmas smell, especially when placed near a source of warmth. My mother used to make a Christmas centerpiece of a big bowl of pomanders the kids would make on Christmas Eve.
That is such a neat idea to do with the kids Frazzled. I would love to see pictures of your finished product. My boys love to help me bake and help with wrapping the gifts. This really sounds like something the whole family could do together.
Hey Frazzled, I didn't edit your post, I just hit the wrong button.
I meant to hit reply. We make popcorn garlands a lot. If you use pure cotton quilting thread, you can hang them around on trees for the birds. Don't do this if you use anything with plastic fibers.
A couple of years ago, a friend taught me to make a simple crocheted garland and I try to make a length a year. Unfortunately I can't ever remember the pattern year to year, so it usually takes some effort to figure out what I did with that.
-- Edited by Host_Jane at 12/11/2008 8:06 AM PST
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Edited by Host_Jane at 12/11/2008 8:06 AM PST
I am going to a friends house this weekend to make garlands and pomanders. We have bay leaves, cranberries, and popcorn for the garlands. I am very excited and hope to make this a new tradition with my kids. I love to do stuff like this with my kids, do any of you have traditions for the holidays.
I love the tree outline in lights on the wall idea. A friend of mine, her husband did that for her as a surprise the first year they were married. Things were very lean for them then and they couldn't afford a Christmas tree. She was so touched by his creativity and thoughtfulness she still puts one up on the wall to this day, in addition to her real tree.
I know! It seems like yesterday was October and now Christmas in in three weeks! But I'm almost done, yay! My three-year-old has made it necessary for us to undress and redress our tree - well between him and the cat. The cat has flattened out the branches from napping in the tree, and my three-year-old has been hanging his Power Rangers off the garland - very rainbow colorful, thought not quite seasonal. Wouldn't mind if he didn't make them kamikaze into each other and pull the garland down, and use the ornaments as missiles, lol.
I am not putting up a tree this year. I will be going to my daughter's house for Christmas. I don't need my 89 year old mother accidentally falling into the tree and she would if it was up. Next year the tree and all the decorations will be up.
I agree that would be way cool! I am hoping we are getting our tree this sunday, I can't believe for the life of me that it is already December. This is all moving way too fast, this is the time of year that I like to linger over. I am sad when it is all over. Has everyone here already put up the tree?
My first apartment with my husband had a very small living room. We had one of those prelit two foot tall trees. Alternatively, you could make a tree outline in lights on the wall, run garland side to side, wrapping it around the lights, then hand the ornaments on the garland.
<span>Wow, I love the idea of planting a live Christmas tree after the holidays are over! It's a very green and responsible thing to do. How do you find out where these city designated places are to plant them?</span>
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Several people have given very good tips for keeping your investment alive during the holidays. If you live in a house, yours or your family's yard would be your first option. Contact your local parks and recreation department. Tell them what kind of tree you are considering and if they would have a place for it after the holidays.
Don't be limited to your typical Christmas-type tree if you are looking at a live tree. Some of our most interesting ones have been bare branched trees like the coral barked maple. My Dad wanted to plant one of those, so we had it as our Christmas tree, then gave him the tree complete with planting.
