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Blog written & researched by Communications Associate, Lauren Maley

This year, my husband and I are celebrating the holidays alone for our second year in a row. We’ll be at home in California, away from his family in St. Louis, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I am immunocompromised, so travel is not an option. We have cats (who can’t be near pine needles), I was raised Jewish, but celebrated some Christmases growing up with my Maley side of the family, and others in Maui, and I am now somewhere in between a Wiccan and a Buddhist.

The holidays to me are fascinating, and really just about giving kindness and mostly…crafting. Any kind of crafting, but especially the kind of crafts that you can give to others and show that you put time, love, and care into thinking about them. When Aubrey (our Communications Manager) mentioned the idea of doing a holiday craft-focused blog, I knew we had to give it a try. So, I decided to recruit my husband to help out, and we spent the weekend enjoying our crafting time together, all while I took care to document the experience to share with you all!

So, with kids back at home all day and plenty of time for activities, this seems like the perfect craft for everyone to try out, regardless of how you’re celebrating this season.

Applesauce Cinnamon Ornaments/Air Fresheners:

It is a recipe, you do bake these, but they are NOT edible! Make sure to tell your kids, no matter how yummy it smells, it doesn’t taste good! Trust me, I tried it. I regret it.

What You Need:

• 1 cup ground cinnamon (2 full, store-bough seasoning shakers)
• 1 cup applesauce
• Cookie cutters (the size of your cookie cutters will determine how many ornaments you can make! The bigger the cutter, the less ornaments, etc.)
• Straw
• Mixing bowls
• Rolling pin
• Parchment paper or baking mats (NO WAX PAPER)
• Baking tray
• String, twine, or ribbon
• A spoon
• Sandpaper or a nail file
• Optional
  • Hot glue
  • Buttons
  • Paint Pens
  • Gemstones
  • Etc.

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit
• Mix together equal parts cinnamon and applesauce until well incorporated and dough forms. If too sticky, add more cinnamon. You may need more cinnamon, depending on how thin the applesauce is.
• Roll out dough between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness.
• Cut out shapes and place them on a baking sheet.
• Allow the shapes to set out on a cooling rack for 24 hours to dry out completely.
• You can use sandpaper to smooth out the edges if they are jagged once the shapes are dry. I used a nail file, since I did not have sandpaper.
• Decorate how you like, add the string, and give as a gift or hang it on your tree, in your car, near your cat’s litter box, or anywhere you want to smell amazing all the time.

Recipe from: https://lovelylittlekitchen.com/cinnamon-applesauce-ornaments/

Supplies needed

Mix together applesauce and cinnamon

Mix, mix, mix!

Roll out dough between parchment paper or non-stick baking mats.

Dough should be rolled out to 1/4 inch thickness

Now you can cut out your shapes using a cookie cutter or stencil.

Once your shapes are cut out be sure to use a straw and poke a hole at the top so you can tie ribbons or string through them.

Bake your shapes!

Once your shapes have cooled you can decorate them how you please!

If you make your own cinnamon applesauce creations, be sure to share them with us on social media! Happy Holidays to you and yours!