44 Days and Counting - Santa Clause is coming to town!!

He is. He really is. The jolly old soul will arrive at two of our local malls this Saturday !!

I don't know about you, but I'm not ready!!! I need to get in the groove and get there soon.

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The Big Guy and I had a little push in the right direction on our drive home from Nebraska over the weekend. As we drove through Eastern Indiana Friday night, we tuned in a radio station featuring an All-Holiday Music Weekend! We were a bit surprised since it was so early in November but soon got into the spirit singing along with Andy Williams, Burl Ives and Karen Carpenter, among others. It felt good and put us in a happy mood (not easy after 13 hours on the road!)

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Want to jump start your holiday spirit ?

Start now to make your home smell Christmasy!

Make some fragrance balls.

Coat styrofoam balls of all sizes with glue (Elmers or any craft glue will work.) and roll in cinnamon powder. (You can buy large inexpensive containers of cinnamon in any of the big box stores, Big Lots, Walmart and even the Dollar Store.) Tie and glue a ribbon around the ball, adding a hanging loop.

You can also add some flowers, shells, tiny pine cones, beads, etc. for trim.

You might also try rolling the glue ball in pine needles and then decorating with fancy bows and such.

(I apologize for the quality of some of these pictures. They are old photos that I have scanned in as opposed to nice crisp digital shots.)

Remember pomander balls?

If you're like me, you made them in Girl Scouts!

They're still a great inexpensive way to make your home smell sweet. They also make a great project for the kids to help you with. Quick and easy, and with minimal mess, you can whip some up in an evening (after homework!)

Choose firm citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and limes. Simply poke whole cloves into the rinds to create various designs and patterns or just let the kids try a random approach. One box of cloves should be plenty for three or four fruits.

Attach a ribbon and hanging loop or just display them in a shallow dish or basket.

They'll retain their scent for weeks!

Cinnamon Wreath

With a little more effort, you can create this interesting, woodsy looking wreath with cinnamon sticks.

Cut a donut-shaped ring from heavy cardboard (I used a dinner plate for a pattern.) Tie a hanging loop around the cardboard frame before beginning to glue cinnamon sticks side by side until you have completely covered the wreath form. (I used a glue gun for this.) Add some dried flowers or dried herbs and a bow.

This also makes an interesting centerpiece when laid flat on the table with a vase of holly or a pot of pointsettias sitting in the middle.

To encourage that holiday spirit, play some Christmas CDs while you're creating!!