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Herbal Holidays

© Laurel Morris

The holiday season is here, and your herbs can play a big part in decorating and gift giving. Look around at the gift stores and you will see that herbs are incorporated into many items.

Tuck herbs into your tree
Add sprigs of rosemary, baby's breath, sage, artemisia and other dried or fresh ingredients to Christmas trees to give them an old-time look. The sprigs can be just tucked in or wired for extra staying power. Seed pods of trees and shrubs can be added either in their natural state or gilded for an extra sparkle.

Potpourri
Woodsy smells such as pine sandalwood set the tone for a winter holiday. Potpourris can be simmered in pots or put into sachets or hoops. Whole Herb.com offers a few good recipes. At Abby's Herbs directions are given for potpourri in a hoop.

Wreaths
Holly, mistletoe, and pine are just a few of the traditional herbs used during the winter season. Wreaths or swags can be decorated with berries, seed pods, rose hips and pine cones, just to name a few. Visit the Virginia Cooperative Extension page for instructions on wreath making.

Rasland Farm has a great colorful wreath idea: a combination of fragrant sweet Annie and Brazilian red pepper berries. What a beautiful wreath!

A great idea for a gift would be a living wreath. Whole Herb.com gives complete directions to make one.

Instructions on fragrant bay wreaths are given at Lurestruly.com: http://lurestruly.com/wildflowers/wreath...

Other Scents AbbysHerbs.com gives some great ideas on room freshener spray, firewood scents, and scented candles.

Herb-scented soaps would make a gift that would be greatly appreciated. Soap making instructions are given at: http://www.sugarplum.net/soapinst.htm And also at the same site, individual soap recipes are presented: http://www.sugarplum.net/library.htm

Vinegars
Herbal vinegars placed in decorative bottles would be a great gift for anyone interested in cooking. See my past article for details: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/herb...

Packaged Herbs
Packages of home grown dried herbs would make any cook happy. They'll never want to go back to store bought! See my past article on harvesting herbs: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/herb...

Herbs for Packages
And for that final herbal flair, incorporate some herb sprigs, berries or small pine cones on top of packages. Glue or wire them into bows or onto lace.