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’m gathering together as many different thumbprint cookie recipes as possible for a day of baking with my sisters and nieces.
how can you not love jam. toast is merely a vehicle for jam!
holiday spirit – i started with the peppermint bark rice crispie bars which should make it to the holiday pot luck tomorrow if we do not eat them all tonight! please send me some lovely jam!! merry christmas!
My family is doing our Christmas baking including cookies, bread, and fudge. We already put up our Christmas tree and lights and we’ve got half of our presents wrapped and under the tree. Christmas is my favorite time of year so I enjoy it as much as I can every year.
I’m working on Holiday cards, the jams look wonderful!
We are counting down the days til Christmas this year with a paper chain. Each link of the chain has a family activity printed on it. It is helping us to get in the Christmas Spirit as well as spending quality time together as a family, every day.
Putting up lites & 2 diff trees with different themes 🙂 please enter me in the jam drawing…..
OOh, making fudge and pralines and cookies and pecan pies. To me, nothing says christmas like banking and cooking all those goodies that make the family groan because they are so good.
Plus planning Christmas dinner. I love to cook for Christmas. I love getting up early and starting the onions, garlic and celery cooking, along with the hens and hot rolls.
I never need gifts anymore. Getting too old. But I love seeing the light in people’s eyes when they sit down to my table on Christmas Day!!
I am getting into the holiday spirit by getting the finishing touches done on our homemade cross-stitch gifts for family and friends.
Planning a special Christmas Eve buffet for family using several great recipes from Our Best Bites. The grandkids love pretzel turtles!
picking out which Christmas cookies I’m going to make this year!
We have been baking lots of goodies to take on a special “delivery day” to neighbors and friends!
Planning holiday meals with different family groups…
Hanging up glittery pinecone garland and drinking peppermint hot chocolate with my kids.
We’ve been reading a Christmas story every night and a scripture about the Nativity. I also made peppermint bark rice krispie treats with my kiddos (thanks to the recipe). Yum!
I am hosting a cookie exchange next weekend to get into the holiday spirit!
I helped my grandma decorate her house tonight! We had a blast
We have been doing a lot of holiday crafts and baking. My girls are 4 and 2 and are really into Christmas this year. It is so much fun.
i’m getting in the xmas spirit more this yr, coz we grew our own christmas tree!!
By decorating the Christmas tree with my husband and 3 boys then drinking hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows and whipped cream (yes both together!) and listening to Christmas music.
My family entered a gingerbread house contest. We made Whoville!
I make candy to give to everybody and I amd gathering up recipes and ingredients.
Tonight I read a short story about Christmas Oranges to my daughter, while sitting by the Christmas tree. It’s a great way to get into the spirit of Christmas!
The trees up, we’re getting the shopping done & finding lots of Christmas activities to do with the kids!
Putting up the tree, hanging the stockings and baking hundreds of cookies
Had family over for dinner tonight. Baking like crazy. Sewing like crazy. I like to make things this time of year. I don’t care to shop much, so making is the best way to go!
I’m baking baking baking with my 4 kiddos, all while listening to Christmas music. Can’t get much more in the spirit than that! 🙂
We just hsd our first baby:) Nothing brings the true spirit of Christmas into your home like a sweet little boy straight from heaven!
I’m crafting away- making super hero capes tonight!
I am going to be baking and going to Christmas parties. I also need to read my book about Christ’s birth.
Put on some Christmas music while making a batch of Peanut Butter Fudge:) Yummmy