Give Your Home A Fresh Holiday Scent Using An Item Already Sitting In Your Yard

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By the time you've bought gifts for everyone on your list, stocked up for a holiday feast, and added a few festive touches around the house, the last thing you want to do is drop another small fortune on a few scented candles. I'm right there with you. Somehow, my Secret Santa always manages to buy (regift?) me the weirdest possible ones that aren't even remotely the warm and cozy holiday smells I love. The good news is that you don't need expensive candles or artificial sprays to make your home smell incredible this winter, since one of the most budget-friendly solutions is sitting right in your backyard. Pinecones can easily be transformed into long-lasting, non-toxic, fragrant decor with nothing more than some essential oils and a little patience.

I'm always on the lookout for ways to decorate for Christmas on a budget, but family and work obligations mean the only DIY projects I pick must be super simple. This one definitely fits the bill. The process is relaxing and fun, especially on a cold day when you're trapped inside. Of course, you'll need to start with plenty of pinecones. The cheapest option is to hunt some down while wandering in your backyard or a nearby park, but you can also buy pinecones in bulk on Amazon, such as the YEXPRESS 24 pack. After prepping them to make sure your fragrant display doesn't turn into a bug-covered disaster, you'll soak them in essential oils. Once the woody cones have absorbed the scent, you can arrange them in bowls, tuck them into garlands, or do what I did: Use them to prepare guest rooms for the holidays.

We have a heavily wooded backyard, so it didn't take me long to find plenty of pinecones to use. Since this hack is part diffuser, part decor, I was selective about the ones I chose. Along with picking pinecones of different sizes, I tried to find ones that were relatively unblemished. I could see the benefit to buying pinecones at a craft store if a uniform look is really important to you, but since I tend to embrace a minimalist Christmas aesthetic, using ones already sitting in my yard worked just fine.

You'll also need essential oils. If you aren't already the proud owner of a cupboard full like I am, purchasing a few classic scents like orange, peppermint, and cinnamon will cost around $10 per bottle. Opting to add notes of rose, jasmine, or frankincense can quickly increase the cost of this project, but as long as you store your oils properly, the investment can last for years. I've been compared to the Windex dad from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" because I'm convinced that essential oils are one of the most powerful natural health tools out there. Of course, that's not to say these lovely scented pinecones will cure you of anything but the winter blues! I'd be remiss if I didn't add here that you should be extremely careful when working with essential oils, because some of them can stain clothes, leave weird marks on countertops, and cause skin irritation. Finally, you'll need either a bathtub or a baking sheet (which I'll get to in a minute), an old towel or aluminum foil, and some large Ziploc bags.

Several years ago, I learned an important lesson about decorating with pinecones. You absolutely must treat them for bugs before scattering them around your house. I learned this the hard way, watching with horror as tiny critters started creeping out of my decorative little displays during a holiday gathering a few years ago. Fortunately, there are two simple options for getting your pinecones ready for crafting.

My old standby (and still my favorite for large batches) is to soak pinecones in a bathtub filled with very hot water and either bleach or vinegar before letting them dry on an old towel. However, after seeing another method in several DIY crafting videos that doesn't risk clogging your drain, I decided to try a different approach this time. For a small batch, it worked like a charm. I simply lined a baking sheet with aluminum foil, spread my pinecones in a single layer, and roasted them at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours, flipping halfway through. This method provided just enough heat to kill bugs and dry out soggy spots without leaving any burnt bits behind.

Once they cooled fully, I separated my pinecones into two Ziploc bags before adding my essential oils. This is the part where you can get creative and customize to your heart's content. I decided to use two blends, one with woody frankincense and rose absolute, and the other with more traditional holiday spice notes of orange, cinnamon, and peppermint. I simply added a few drops of each oil directly onto the pinecones, shaking frequently to distribute, before leaving them to sit overnight in a tightly sealed bag.

The next day, I had a dozen wonderfully fragrant pinecones ready to tuck around the house. At first, I planned to use craft wire to turn them into small, clustered door hangers for our guest rooms. But I quickly ditched that idea, finding that they were so pointy I could only imagine how excited little fingers might poke themselves during the Christmas morning rush (or groggy adult fingers might during a late-night stumble to the bathroom). Undeterred, I decided that putting them on display was a more practical and pain-free option. I like to offer overnight guests a few travel-sized bath products arranged in pretty ceramic containers on our toilet organizer racks. The pinecones fit perfectly there, adding a subtle scent and wintery touch without being over the top.

Based on my experience with essential oils, I expect the fragrance to last until our guests leave. While I could refresh them with a few more drops, I'm sure the pinecones will get tossed out with the tree when I do my deep clean for the new year. Still, I could see myself doing this project again, especially because it was very cost-effective compared to purchasing commercially scented pinecones soaked in who-knows-what. On a recent shopping trip, I was shocked by how pricey scented brooms and wreaths have become, and I think this technique of sourcing natural materials like pinecones or boughs in your backyard and scenting them yourself opens the door to many creative variations. Rustic, budget-friendly, and customizable, I highly recommend trying this simple project yourself if bringing cozy holiday scents into your home is on your wish list.