A Potpourri of Creative Holiday Hints
by Karen Trainor

    As we count down until Christmas, there's much hustle and bustle readying the hearth and home for the holidays.  While this time of year is the most hectic, it's also the most memorable.  With this in mind, the following potpourri of holiday hints is geared toward saving time and promoting simplicity of style during the holiday season.
 
n Magic with Metallic Balls
Small ornamental Christmas tree balls are often underestimated when it comes to decking the halls.  Shiny metallic miniature ornaments are gorgeous!  Here's how to incorporate them into your holiday decorating plan with little effort.
* Use small, colorful balls for festive name tags, Write your name on the ball with a silver metallic pen, and decorate with coordinating curly ribbon, then pin on your clothing, corsage style.
* Use small tree balls for table place cards. For large ornaments, write on the ball and stand in simple eggcups or crystal shot glasses at each place setting.
* String tiny or small metallic balls to create an heirloom garland that can be used year after year. To make Grandma's Garland, paint names, and perhaps dates of birth of grandchildren on balls. Thread top loop through a fancy ribbon or other garland material.  Use as is to decorate the tree, or better yet, attach it to real or artificial greenery and string across a mantle.  Best of all, you can add on more balls as more children are added to the family!
* Hang ornate balls on your evergreen roping to add a touch of glitz and interest. If your roping is artificial, twist two or three garlands together to make them thick and hang interesting balls between.
* Ornaments on candlesticks make a festive statement. An array of assorted glass balls looks great on a mantle or table centerpiece. This look is especially dramatic if you have the finial type old-fashioned ornaments.
 
n Creativity with Christmas Tree Clippings
Do falling pine needles drive you crazy?  Stop cursing and start collecting!  Balsam pine needles are the stuff pricey pine pillows are made of. Believe it or not, string tied muslin bags of pine needles go for about six dollars for a three-ounce pouch!  To whip up a festive balsam “pouch” cut two rectangles of fabric from wool or flannel (old flannel shirt material is ideal). Depending upon how many needles you have, you can stuff small sachet pillows nice and tight with ground up needles, adding a drop of balsam essential oil for good measure.  Then use an elastic band to tie off the top. Wrap a festive ribbon around it and glue on a tiny pinecone or two.
Note: For finely ground needles, you will need a net or double flannel lining to prevent the grindings from escaping.
If you don't have an abundance of fallen needles, you can still capture the scent of balsam. Fill a cheesecloth or net pouch with the tips of Christmas tree branches.  Add some polyfill stuffing, and sprinkle in a few drops of pine or balsam essential oil. Secure open end shut. Stuff the cheesecloth filled pouch into a travel size zippered pillowcase.  Add polyfill as well as a few more drops of essential oil.  Be sure to use enough stuffing so pillow is stuffed solid, yet still soft.
Note: Balsam pillows and sachets have long been given as a gesture of friendship.
 
QUICK TIP: Did you know that smell is the most potent of our senses? If your house smells like Christmas, your visitors will feel doubly welcomed.  For a quick pine fragrance, simply sprinkle your carpets with a pine scented carpet freshener before vacuuming.

n Pine Potpourri
Wish you could retain that delightful pine scent of your Christmas tree?  This homemade Pine Potpourri offers a fresh, evergreen scent any time of year!
Mix together: 1/2 cup bayberry leaves; 1/2 cup snipped balsam needles; 1/2 cup miniature pine cones; 1/2 cup rose hips; 2 tsp. orrisroot; 2 drops pine-scented fixative
Mix the bayberry, balsam, pine cones and rose hips in a large bowl. Add the orrisroot and fixative and stir gently. Store in a jar with a tight fitting lid.
 
QUICK TIP: To rejuvenate your potpourri, try this economical trick.  Put some ground corncob material (sold as cellulose or litter material at the pet store) in a jar.  Add several drops of essential oil, place lid on jar and shake. Shake the jar every day for about a week or so.  Add it to your potpourri, to give it body and hold the scent.

n Cinnamon Scent Votive
Cinnamon sticks transform a simple glass votive holder into a “scentsational” Yuletide candle.  Simply hot glue cinnamon sticks completely around a glass votive holder.  Be sure to trim sticks to just above the lip of the glass before gluing.  If glue doesn't stick well to glass, apply some transparent tape around the glass first. Tie on a simple raffia bow.  Place a good quality votive candle inside.  Some great holiday scents include Spice; Sugar Cookie; Pine and Apple Pie.
 
QUICK TIP: Want your holiday candles to burn down evenly? Then be sure to trim the wicks to one half inch or less to prevent lopsided burning.

About the Author: Karen Trainor lives in North Brookfield with her husband and three children. She writes for several New England newspapers and is managing editor of Our Town and the Brimfield Antique Guide. Karen also hosts weekly radio shows on WESO 970 AM in Southbridge and WARE 1250 AM in Palmer, MA. Her one-minute snippets can be heard twice daily on WORC Oldies 989. For suggestions for future columns, or to submit a decorating idea, e-mail her at KDRR@aol.com