Pomanders for Yule

We went, as a family, to my husband's company party. I don't usually go to these things, because first of all, I'm a major introvert and I find them exhausting, and second, I hate seeing young soldiers pound down alcohol and act stupid.

But I'm glad I went last night. I do have a few fun people to talk to in his company, and I enjoyed their conversation time last night. Plus, there was a raffle, and as my Bay always says, I win everything. Sure enough, I won a cute clock that says Coffee on it. Kind of perfect, because I'm planning to install a coffee bar in our new home when we move next summer.

Also, I was recognized as a volunteer, given a certificate and a lovely set of handmade coasters that say Frohe Weihnachten on them (Merry Christmas auf Deutsch). This was special to me, because it's my last Christmas here in Germany, and I was determined to find something nice that said Frohe Weihnachten on it to take back to the states with me. Only, in all the markets I visited, I found nothing all season. I love my coasters.

At the Christmas party, Santa Claus, of course, made an appearance, with little presents for all the children, even the oldest of the children (our Bay), and I was happily able to snap a photo of my precious babes with Santa. That's something that hasn't happened here in at least nine years. Santa always freaked out Kathryn, and Bay hasn't been into the old man in as many years. We haven't "done" Santa in our house since Kathrn was about three years old. And, no, it doesn't take away the "magic" of Christmas. It simply takes away the creepy old fat man who spies on us year-round and breaks into our houses and eats our food once a year. Kathryn was not okay with that. And so neither were we.

Here are my precious wee ones on Santa's knee:

Outside, the town was all lit up for Christmas. It's so pretty here this time of year. Well, actually, all year it's gorgeous. We will miss living here so very much.

Okay, enough sappy photos. Onto crafting. Tomorrow's Yule, or the Winter Solstice. In celebration, we make natural decorations for our home. Dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks, twigs tied into the shape of a star and decorated with evergreen and holly, herbs, even popcorn and cranberries count. Pomanders are a good way to decorate in a natural way, combining oranges and cloves in a Christmasy scent, and they're really easy to make.

Pomanders

total time spent: 5 minutes per clementine
total cost to me: $2 for cloves, less than $.25 for a clementine
craftiness level: beginner

Simply push whole cloves into an orange in whatever pattern you find pleasing. Some people completely cover the orange; others make patterns in the peel.

You can keep these indefinitely. The pomanders will dry out in two to six weeks.