Simply Scentsational

This week's simple pleasure is really simple but a little bit Christmasy and crafty too.  You see, I'm one of those people who thinks that the Christmas season ought to appeal to all five senses.

I love to see the decorations,

and hear the carols, 

and feel the chill in the air, 

and (mostly) taste the cookies and cocoa.  

But it's that fifth sense, the sense of smell that is my husband's  favorite. For him, we buy a live Christmas tree even though they are more difficult to decorate and not exactly  the most cost effective in the long run.

For him, I stick little sprigs of tree trimmings in all my faux garlands and refill them as the season progresses.

 For him, I keep scented candles and potpourri throughout the house.  (OK, that one's for me too...)  

But the main thing that I do for him at Christmas is keep a simmering pot of his very favorite Christmas scent, citrus and cloves,  in the kitchen. I love to see the look on his face when he walks through door at after a long week of travel. He stops and sniffs the air. Then, he glances to the counter where the pot is simmering and tells me how good it is to be home. 

It probably won't surprise you that I just make my own simple solution. Basically, this is all I use.

Sometimes, I add cinnamon sticks,  but mostly I just slice a few slices of oranges in the morning and simmer them all day with some whole cloves in my simmer pot. The aroma permeates the entire house and  generally lingers for most of the day. If it weakens, I just add more.

The rest of the year, my simmer pot looks like this.

Bah Humbug.

 

Since I'm too cheap to buy a new one, I usually try to camouflage it behind some Christmas doodads. It doesn't really work. I finally made a little Christmas apron for it from some hoarded wrapping paper.

I just decoupaged (surprise...) the wrapping paper to a strip of card stock.

And wrapped it around the pot, 

being sure to keep it away from the bottom where the heat element is. 

The decoupage also makes it water resistant. 

Isn't that much cuter? 

Yeah, I thought so too. 
The husband just laughed and blamed it on blogland.

Smarty pants.

He calls it blame. I call it credit. Things are simply cuter around here since I ventured into blogland, and for that, I'm thankful.  Those citrus simmering snowmen are this week's  simple pleasure.

*****

I'm sharing them with Dayle at

A Collection of This and That 

for her simple pleasures party

because, well... 

I can't stand to be left out of a good party.