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!**
I just baked sand tart cookies tonight. I am afriad my husband will eat them all before Christmas.
I get in the holiday spirit by totally decking out the house in decorations both inside and out, put on some Christmas music and bake something that smells like gingerbread or cinnamon.
Decorations are up, shopping’s done. Now it’s time to wrap gifts and bake!
I am waiting until after my granddaughter’s birthday this weekend to really get into the spirit of the holiday. I can’t deal with more than one thing at a time anymore. The jams look great though.
We’ve been listening to a lot of Christmas music and hoping for snow 🙂
I have decided to make gifts for everyone this year (except for the kids cause hello…toys are needed for my sanity) I am making red velvet krispie treats, your Peppermint Bark Krispie Treats, peanut butter balls, sugar cookies with frosting and Lady Gaga inspired gingerbread men/women. Can’t wait! Hope I win…I love jam!
Pulled out the Christmas stories and made some fudge! The fudge disappeared way too fast so I guess its time to start making more Christmas treats! Yum
I’m getting into the spirit of Christmas by making cookies and reading stories with my three kiddos!
I still need to decorate the outside, so I can start on the baking next week.
I listen to Christmas music while makeing yummy treats for friends. 🙂
I spent last week in NYC and seeing the tree in Rockefeller Center really set the holiday season in motion for me.
We’re getting into the holiday spirit by singing Christmas songs while baking Christmas cookies! All while looking at our lit up Christmas tree!
yummy giveaway! we listen to christmas music ALL day 🙂 love the season!
tossing another snow storm over the Christmas village
Lots of baking and packaging of cookies for friends, neighbors and family members.
Tomorrow is the first trip to the PO to mail cookies to my grandson and his parents. Wonder how long those lines will be!?!
Decorating the Christmas tree and making gingerbread cookies puts me in the Christmas spirit. Wrapping presents does too. 🙂
It’s still dark in the morning when I have to get up for work, so I light the Christmas tree and sip my coffee. As I sit there I try to remember not to rush, to be patient and that everything will get done..it always does!
Decorating the house is a biggie here. I also love to read to my kids the various Christmas books we’ve collected over the years.
Going Christmas shopping tomorrow! Plus, I’m eating lots of holiday treats. That counts as festive, right? 🙂
The kids and I put up our tree and made some home made Christmas ornaments.
Will bake cookies this Saturday.
My shopping is done, the gifts are wrapped and my house is decorated! I’ve been in the Christmas spirit since November! 🙂 (But the decorations didn’t go up til 12/3) 🙂
My family is getting into the Christmas spirit by decorating, baking, cooking up some yummy cold weather bites, and watching all the old classic Christmas shows on tv. Love this time of year!
Baking Christmas cookies with Christmas music playing.
My Christmas shopping will be done this weekend if I could stop buying things for my son! And my tree is up! Now deciding if we can do the 12 days of Christmas this year and for who!
The kids and I are creating lots of Christmas crafts, giftd and ornaments and i am making MOST of my cards this year….in a week or so the baking and candy making will begin!!!
My whole family is going to get together this Christmas! (26 1/2 of us!) Isn’t this a wonderful reason to get excited! 15 stocking have been hung already,12 more to go!
We wrapped 25 Christmas books, and let the kids open up one each day!
I’m still adding a few decorations and tonight I’m going to do some gift wrapping (and nibble on some cookies!).
getting ready to put up the tree as i listen to my favorite holiday music