5 min read
Cinnamon stick ornaments with dried orange slices smell like the holidays and cost almost nothing to make. The cinnamon gives a warm scent, and the orange slices add color. Strung together with twine, they make ornaments for the tree, gifts for neighbors, or decorations for a wreath. The project needs no special tools and suits all ages, though children need help with the oven step. This guide covers drying the oranges, assembling the ornaments, and storing them for next year. You can make a dozen ornaments in one afternoon, plus drying time. The result is a set of natural ornaments that look and smell like Christmas.
Drying Orange Slices for Ornaments
Choose firm oranges with thick skin, since thin-skinned oranges curl too much as they dry. Slice each orange into rounds about 5 mm thick. Thicker slices take too long to dry, and thinner slices turn brittle. Blot each slice with a paper towel to remove surface juice. Lay the slices in a single layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Dry them in the oven at 95 degrees Celsius for two to three hours, flipping them every thirty minutes. The slices are done when they feel dry and papery and no longer bend without cracking. If the edges darken, lower the temperature and dry them longer. Do not rush the drying with high heat, since burnt slices smell bitter. Let the slices cool on the tray before you handle them. They will stiffen as they cool. For a faster method, dry slices in a food dehydrator at 60 degrees for six to eight hours. Store dried slices in a sealed jar until you assemble the ornaments. Dried oranges keep for months if they stay dry. If a slice feels soft, dry it again before you use it, since damp slices can mold.
Assembling Cinnamon Stick Ornaments
Use whole cinnamon sticks of 8 to 10 cm for ornaments. Shorter sticks look stubby, and longer sticks are hard to hang. Gather twine, a hot glue gun, and optional decorations like star anise, small pine sprigs, or dried cranberries. To make a basic ornament, lay one cinnamon stick flat and glue one dried orange slice to the middle of the stick. Hold it for twenty seconds until the glue sets. Tie a loop of twine around the top of the stick for hanging. For a fancier ornament, glue two cinnamon sticks in a cross shape, then glue an orange slice where they meet. Add a star anise on top of the orange slice for a layered look. For a bundle ornament, tie three cinnamon sticks together with twine, then glue an orange slice to the front. Work on a protected surface, since hot glue drips. Keep your fingers away from the glue tip. If you make ornaments with children, let an adult handle the glue gun while children place the decorations. Make the ornaments in batches so the glue gun stays hot and the work goes faster.
Decorating, Gifting, and Storing
Once the glue sets, add finishing touches. Tie a small bow of ribbon at the top of each ornament, or thread a wooden bead onto the hanging loop. For a gift set, make three ornaments in matching style and tie them together with ribbon. Tuck a sprig of dried rosemary behind the orange slice for a green accent. If you hang the ornaments on the tree, place them away from lights that give off heat, since heat fades the scent and dries the orange slices further. Cinnamon ornaments also work as package decorations. Tie one to a wrapped gift with twine for a present that smells good before it is opened. To store ornaments for next year, wrap each one in tissue paper and keep them in a rigid box. Do not stack heavy items on top, since dried oranges break under pressure. Keep the box in a dry place. The cinnamon scent fades after a year, but the ornaments still look lovely. Refresh the scent by adding a drop of cinnamon essential oil to the back of each stick.
Making a Cinnamon and Orange Wreath
A wreath uses the same materials on a larger scale. Start with a grapevine wreath base of about 30 cm. Hot glue dried orange slices around the wreath, spacing them evenly and overlapping them slightly. Tuck cinnamon sticks between the slices, gluing each one at two points so it stays firm. Add sprigs of dried rosemary or small pine cones to fill gaps. Work around the wreath in one direction so the pattern stays consistent. Tie a loop of twine at the top for hanging. A wreath takes about an hour to assemble and uses roughly twenty orange slices and fifteen cinnamon sticks. Hang it on a door or above the mantel, away from direct heat. The scent fades after a few weeks, so refresh it with a drop of cinnamon essential oil on the back of each stick. A cinnamon and orange wreath matches the ornaments and makes a coordinated holiday display.
Cinnamon stick ornaments with dried orange slices are a simple holiday craft with a big payoff. Dry the oranges slowly, assemble with care, and the tree gets ornaments that smell as good as they look.