I was born and raised in Southeastern Virginia, which is an area that is rich in history.  Some of my favorite memories during the holiday seasons here are of wandering the cobblestone walks in Colonial Williamsburg and taking in all of the sights, sounds and scents.  Handmade wreaths hang from shop and home fronts and are tastefully adorned with nature-inspired items like oyster shells and dried fruits.  Carolers in Colonial garb sing Christmas carols to visitors.  Warm holiday scents like apple cider and cinnamon fill the air, and there are always packets of dried spices for sale to use when making Wassail. 

Wassail is a hot mulled cider that was enjoyed during the holiday season.  Cinnamon, ginger, cloves and orange are a few ingredients that make this cider so fragrant and evoke a warm holiday spirit in me, so that’s what I’ve replicated in this warm-scented body butter!

Whipping the ingredients together is key in this process as it yields a creamy, light texture, so I recommend using an electric mixer.  I have found that friends love to use this as a hand and foot cream during the winter months, and it makes a great stocking stuffer!

Dehydrated oranges and tea-stained gift tags give the packaging a rustic, handmade touch. 

Whipped Wassail Body Butter

Ingredients:

(This recipe fills 15 4 oz Ball Jars - so if you do not need this many, please cut the recipe to meet your needs.)

4 cups Coconut Oil

1 TBSP Vitamin E Oil

7 drops Cinnamon Essential Oil

7 drops Orange Essential Oil

12 drops Ginger Essential Oil

12 drops Clove Essential Oil

Put all ingredients into mixing bowl and mix with whisking attachment (or use a hand mixer) for at least 5 minutes.  Spoon into airtight containers and label for gifting - they are perfect for teacher and staff gifts, family and friends and stocking stuffers.

*Feel free to adjust the amount or scent of essential oils to meet your needs.

Tea-Stained Gift Tags

For these gift tags, I used standard printer paper and was very pleased with the results. Simply steep 1 tea bag in a few ounces of hot water. Once the tea bag has cooled, use it to coat the piece of paper with tea stain. To speed up the drying process of the paper, you can use a hair dryer or set in the warm sun.

I used a calligraphy pen to write holiday messages, but a sharpie or other felt-tipped pen would work nicely. Cut the gift tags out to whatever size meets your needs, and attach with earthy twine. I even attached the dehydrated oranges for an added embellishment.

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