This year, Santa and Mrs. Claus made an early appearance at The Walks to the great delight of many local children. On November 5 and 6, 2022, the Jolly Old Elf, along with his better half, welcomed 41 children and their parents to decorate the tree in the 1780’s section of the house and to hang stockings, mix potpourri, and make paper chains in the 1840’s section. Each child had the opportunity to meet Santa and share his or her special wishes for Christmas. Best of all, Santa treated everyone to a reading of “The Night Before Christmas” and led the visitors in singing Christmas carols. If you would like to enjoy some of what the children experienced, you can make your own Christmas potpourri using the following recipe.
Christmas Potpourri Recipe:
Mix the following ingredients in a large bowl. Use as much or as little of each as you like:
Fresh white cedar greens, chopped into 1” sections
Dried clementine slices
Cinnamon sticks
Cloves
Star anise
Place the potpourri in bowls around your home. Mix occasionally to release additional fragrance. When the holidays are over and the scent has disappeared, add the dried potpourri to you compost!
Note: When preparing the clementine slices, slice the clementines as thinly as possible and put the slices on a cooling rack in a 200-degree oven for 2 hours. Turn the slices over and then turn again another 2 hours. If the slices are completely dry, leave in for another 30-45 minutes. Be careful to check regularly - they burn very easily! (You can also use lemons and limes.) Once dried in the oven, they will cool very quickly.