A Little Something For Your Holiday Guests...

I hosted my annual Christmas brunch on Saturday and it was so much fun! I just love getting together with my girl friends during this busy time of year to sit, eat, drink mimosas and hot chocolate, relax a little, and catch up. A lot of breakfast food is consumed and Santa (Rookie- dressed in his Santa suit) always makes a special appearance. It's a good time.

One of the things I really enjoy about the brunch is the preparation. It is a lot of work but I really enjoy it. I love knowing that my friends can all come over and just enjoy. For most of our parties everyone pitches in and brings something and that is great. It's fun and it's wonderful and it allows you to host more often because the entire burden isn't on your shoulders. But for this event I really enjoy doing the work. I want people to come, relax, be served and enjoy.

I like to give everyone a little parting gift and this is my 4th year doing this. I have anywhere from 15-20 people so I have to get really creative to do something fun, useful and cute without breaking the bank. I have made Annalee's fabulous homemade hot chocolate, I made homemade candles- peppermint and fresh balsam scent, and for the life of me I can't remember what I gave the first year! So clearly it made a huge impression on me....I hope it made more of an impression on my guests! ha!

This year, I decided to go with mulling spices that give your entire home the fabulous smell of Christmas! I thought it packaged really well with the bright colors and then it gives everyone a gift that will last the entire month as you just simmer it on the stove and add water each time you use it.

There are a ton of recipes floating around, so you can really add whatever you'd like to achieve your desired smell. Here is what I did~ adapted from Make It Do:

• 1 whole orange (You can dehydrate your fruit as well but to me it's just as great and easier to use a fresh orange)
• 1.5 tablespoon of cloves (To me, the more the merrier on the cloves. These really kick it up a notch.)
• Cinnamon sticks- I put 3 in each bag 
• Cranberries- 1/2 cup
• Nutmeg- 1/4 teaspoon

You can continue using this same pot of goodies as long as they are giving off scent. It usually lasts at least a couple of weeks. Just add water as needed. Perfect for teacher gifts, gifts for co-workers, Christmas parties or to have on hand as people come over to visit throughout the holidays, or a wonderful idea for neighbors.

Happy giving!