How to Make a Christmas Simmer Pot

There is so much that is wrapped up in Christmas. It’s not just the Christmas decor that makes it feel festive, but it’s also the smells of Christmas. Today, I’m going to share how to make this simple Christmas simmer pot in less than 5 minutes.

Everything about the Christmas season makes me fill up with joy.

The reason we celebrate the season is enough to make me overflow, but the fact that I also get to enjoy it all using all of my senses is icing on the cake.

I like to prepare for Christmas ahead of time and enjoy the time by decorating slowly over the course of the 8 weeks leading up to Christmas day.

The first thing we do is make our Christmas bedrooms cozy.

Then, we move on to the sounds of Christmas. Music starts filling our homes with the sounds of the season.

My kids always look forward to our dried orange ornaments or our dried orange garland crafts that we do every year.

It really is the simple bits that make it all so special. There’s just no other time quite like Christmastime.

Smells of Christmas

You know that Christmas smells special.

The mix of citrus and spice bring a warmth and freshness to the air.

Think, cinnamon, clove, orange, and cranberry.

More candles are burned between October and January each year than any other time of the year.

There’s just something about smells that impact us.

I want to give you a few ways to make your home smell like Christmas other than candles.

In our home, we enjoy beeswax candles for their mild honey smell and beautiful warm glow.

It’s hard to find a beeswax candle that has a good, vibrant Christmas smell, so I look elsewhere to bring in those scents.

Why you’ll love a Christmas Simmer Pot

One reason you’ll love this Christmas simmer pot is that it’s easy to throw together.

You can grab a few things from your spice cabinet and refrigerator to have what you need to make your own simmer pot.

These are great for when you are hosting a gathering or for those blustery nights of winter when you want to bring a warmth to your home.

The smell will fill your entire house with spice and citrus and you will love it!

All you will need is to toss the ingredients into a stock pot and allow it to simmer on your stove.

Ingredients for a Christmas Simmer Pot

• Fresh Cranberries- These come in bags in the produce section of the store. You will get enough for 3 simmer pots in one bag.
• Large Orange- Slice the orange in large slices and toss it in your pot. Use the ends of the orange, too!
• Red Apple- This adds color and an apple orchard smell. You may slice it or simply halve it.
• Whole Cloves- You may use ground clove or clove essential oil, but the whole cloves look prettier
• Rosemary- Grab some fresh rosemary at your store for this simmer pot. If you can’t find any, you can use some evergreens from your yard!
• Apple Cider- You don’t have to use this, but I do find it gives the simmer pot a richer smell.

How to make a Christmas Simmer Pot

• Gather your ingredients and slice the oranges, halve the apple, and rinse the cranberries.
• Toss the ingredients in a stock pot and cover with water.
• Pour in 1 cup of apple cider and simmer.
• Refill the simmer pot every 2-3 hours while using.

How long can you use your Christmas simmer pot

You can use your Christmas simmer pot for 2-3 days before you will need to refresh it with some new ingredients.

Do you let it simmer while you are sleeping or out of the house, but enjoy it while you are putzing around your home.

Refill your pot every 2-3 hours, or when the water level gets low.

Christmas Simmer Pot Gift

Christmas simmer pots are a great way to brighten someone’s day this Christmas season.

The best way to gift a simmer pot is by filling a food grade gift bag or box (you can get these at Hobby Lobby or Michael’s) with everything they will need to make their own simmer pot.

To do this you will need to include the following in their gift bag:

• Large Navel Orange
• Red Apple
• Small baggy of cranberries
• 3 Cinnamon Sticks
• 1 Tablespoon of cloves
• A gift tag with instructions- Slice oranges and apples. Put oranges, apples, cranberries, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a stock pot. Cover with water and simmer.

How to make a dried Stovetop Potpourri Gift

If you would rather create a dried version of this classic simmer pot, you may do so!

You will need to give yourself a bit more time to dry the ingredients, but it is a simple gift that looks beautiful.

Click the link for all of the instructions for a stovetop potpourri DIY. (link coming soon!)

Substitutions for your Christmas Simmer Pot

• Oranges- You may substitute with tangerines
• Rosemary- Grab any evergreen twig you can find. You can even go to your local home and garden store to snag some of their evergreen clippings. They are happy to share!
• Apple cider- If you don’t have apple cider in your area, use orange juice or cranberry juice. You may also omit it altogether and just use water.

Other ways to make your house smell like Christmas

Other ways to get your home smelling like a white Christmas is by diffusing essential oils.

Some great oils to diffuse are:

• Cinnamon, Clove, or Ginger oils
• Pine, Spruce, or Fir oils
• Thieves or Christmas Spirit, if you use Young Living
• Pair Orange oil with Cinnamon oil
• Peppermint and Vanilla diffused together

Baking delicious pies, such as cranberry, apple, or pecan pie also makes us think of Christmas.

Cinnamon Rolls are a tradition for breakfast from Thanksgiving morning until New Year’s, so our home always smells of cinnamon.

If you prefer a more ‘earthy’ smell, hang some real greenery in your home and stoke the fire.

Other Christmas DIYs you’ll love

• How to Make Salt Dough Ornaments for Christmas
• Simple Brown Sugar Body Scrub with Avocado Oil
• How to make Chocolate Covered Pecans

Free Christmas Gift Tag

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Recipe for Christmas Simmer Pot