NOTE: This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all of you who entered! The winners have been notified, and they are #464 (Natalie), #1151 (Wendy), and #1307 (Gloria). Y’all have 48 hours to respond before we pick new winners! 🙂
I have a confession for you all and I hope it’s not too shocking: I am not a fan of jam. Not a jam fan. I like homemade freezer jam because it basically tastes like sweetened fruit, but most jam is just too sweet and sickly and cooked fruit-ish for me. If you’re dying to know what I put on toast or peanut butter sandwiches, I like butter on toast and honey on my sandwiches. Am I weird?
Well, I thought I hated all regular jam until I went to Smucker’s last month and I got to try their Orchard’s Finest preserves (and then discovered, in a cruel twist of fate, that they don’t sell it where I live). Even the names are pretty–Pacific Mountain Strawberry and Coastal Valley Peach Apricot and North Woods Blueberry and Fall Harvest Cinnamon Apple. And the jars? 
Don’t even get me started on the jars. Y’all know how I feel about adorable jars and bottles.
I love this jam because not only does it taste fabulous, but it’s fancier than your average jar of jam, so it’s great for holiday entertaining or gift-giving. Instead of just handing someone a jar of jam (anyone remember the Gilmore Girls where Rory and Lorelai forgot to get Luke a present in Europe, so they brought him a jar of jam and he found it lame?), you could fill line a basket with a festive tea towel and then fill it fresh croissants or homemade rolls and then add a jar of jam with a ribbon on it.
Or you could make a plate of these cookies and deliver them with a jar of jam and a copy of the recipe.
If you’re having a party, you could serve up a plate of crackers and slices of crusty bread with some of your favorite cheeses and a few jars of jam. It’s elegant and easy and requires zero to little prep (which is totally what I need right now!)
Because it’s getting close to Christmas and because it’s Thursday (which has always been my favorite day…don’t ask…), we’re giving away 3, count ’em, three of the following gift baskets:
-6 jars of Smucker’s Orchard’s Finest preserves in a cute little crate
-A set of spreading tools (or something similar)
-$100 gift card to Cooking.com
To enter, leave us a comment telling us how you’re getting into the holiday spirit right now! You need to respond here on this post in the comments section, not through email or on Facebook or Twitter. The giveaway is a short one! It will end next Tuesday, December 13 and the winners will be announced on Wednesday morning.
**Thank you to all who entered! This giveaway is now closed!**
Decorating our home and drinking homemade hot chocolate!
I am making your FUDGE for a cookie exchange coming up on Saturday with some girlfriends! 🙂 Listening to Christmas music while I do and waiting for my electric fireplace to arrive! 🙂
Hanging the stockings!!
I created a list of 25 Advent activities to do with my 2 1/2 year old son. We do a Christmas activity each day, and are having a lot of fun with it!
I’m busy decorating the house!
Cookie party this weeknd. I baked a 5-gallon pail’s worth of gingerbread and sugar cookies. Already made the butter caramels, cinnamon marshmallows, toasted coconut marshmallows, and caramel marshmallows (oh, yeah, that was an experiemen gone REALLY well!) Still need to do the peanut butter balls, the chocolate dipped everything, and then the cookie decorating on Saturday.
I’m enjoying anxiety thinking about having to see family memebers I have been fighting with. I also made homemade sauerkraut in jars, as gifts!
We have Christmas parties galore this week and next, so it’s been plenty festive!
I am getting ready for the holidays by sending out my Christmas cards and wrapping up my Christmas shopping. And trying to remember the reason for the season!
Christmas shopping, wrapping presents and trying to get our cards sent out! It’s been a busy (but fun!) few days!
Christmas music. All day every day!
Christmas music, Advent, LDS First Presidency Christmas Devotional, and reading a new Christmas story each day to my twin boys who are three!
I bake a lot, but I really only bake cookies around the holidays – it is a true sign (and wonderful smell) signaling that it’s time to rock around the Christmas tree 🙂
Thanks for a great giveaway and happy holidays!
I’m listening to the 24 hour a day Christmas station on the radio 🙂
Working hard to finish up my cross-stitch ornament presents! Seeing Santa’s face come to life in my stitches makes me in the Christmas mood for sure!
I’m working on the spirit. It’s cold in the mornings, which is good. The afternoon’s, however are warm and takes away the feeling of Christmas somewhat. I’m taking my son to the mall to look at decorations this evening and that should put us in the spirit. I love Smucker’s jams, haven’t seen that style though.
I’ve been finishing up my decorating and am now planning my holiday baking.
I decorated the house earlier this week and yesterday I started sewing new stockings for the hubs and I!
I am going to a brother in law’s band concert tonight, parties this weekend, parties and things all next week, and making lots of yummy treats!
I’m looking up lots of holiday recipes right now!
I’m getting into the holiday spirit by having Christmas music playing
constantly in my home…and of course tons of baking!
The house is decorated, have a glob of pretty wrapped gifts under the tree and the girls are having a playdate making cookies with friends!
Singing Christmas music with my boys
We put up the tree yesterday and tomorrow we are going to do our holiday baking and candy making!! So excited to have my 3 year old help make treats with me!
I’ve been listening to Christmas music at my desk at work all week!
I’m making candy today- fudge, peppermint bark, and macadamia nut chocolate covered toffee!
Busy making “Family Night” baskets for all of our families. A game, some Popcorn & Bowls, lots of home made cany & cookies. We love this time of year!
Remembering my grandparents and keeping their spirit alive as we prepare for our first Christmas without them.
We are getting into the Christmas spirit by decorating our house today! We put a big garland around our front door and are going to add lights to our topiaries tonight.
Holiday music is the best way for us to get into the festivities…and putting up lights.