Christmas crafts: Festive Pomanders

What is a pomander?

Pomanders - a medieval sweet-smelling orb used for masking bad smells - were popular Christmas gifts in Tudor times and remain a popular Christmas accessory to this day.

It's easy to make a pomander for your family at Christmas - once dried they'll last several years so you can use them to decorate or Christmas tree or year-round in drawers to keep moths at bay and clothes smelling nice. 

N.B: this craft uses sharp pins so children need to be well supervised.

What will you need?

You will need:

• An orange
• Pins or glue to hold ribbon in place
• Ribbon
• Cloves
• Ground cinnamon
• Greaseproof paper
• Kitchen foil

Instructions:

1. Wrap your ribbon around the orange, pinning it in to place. We have only wrapped it round the orange once, but you can go around as many times as you want. Tie a bow on top of the orange.

2. Press the sharp point of the cloves into the orange. If you have difficulty, use a pin to make a small hole first.

3. Sprinkle some cinnamon onto a piece of greaseproof paper. Wrap your orange in the paper, and then wrap it again in kitchen foil.

4. Leave your orange somewhere dark and dry for about 6 weeks - an airing cupboard is ideal. When you unwrap it you should be left with a hard, sweet smelling ball.

Tip: Instead of placing the cloves randomly, try creating a design on your orange or forming initials.

Why not get crafty at one of our family workshops around the country this month? 

Image: (c) Wendy Piersall via Creative Commons