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’ve done some shopping, but I’m not yet in full holiday mode — I’m a college instructor, so until grades are submitted (monday), I’m nose to the grindstone. but next week I’m going to bake my cookies and clean my house!
I just finished my husbands Christmas stocking! Only took me five years of marriage! Woot-Woot!
For the last couple of years I have decorated my grandmas house, together we put up the tree and together we decorate it remembering stories behind the decorations. Then I decorate our house inside and out while listening to Christmas music (ok small confession I secrectly start listening to Christmas music November 1st).
Then the Sunday before Christmas I either walk through or act in the living nativity that the church puts on. That always is a good time to remember the TRUE meaning of Christmas and hearing little kids read the message is heart warming.
I’ve been baking up a storm and doing fun holiday activities with my daughter!
My home is void of holiday spirit right now. I hope to change that soon. Reason being – everyone in my family has been sick once or twice since Thanksgiving and we are moving in the first two weeks of January. I could actually use some cheering up!
We’ve been baking up a storm here.
We are getting in the spirit with a lot of fun crafts for the kids, as well as baking treats for Cookies Across America and delivering them to good-will organizations around our town.
I am getting into the holiday spirit by decorating my home! We bought our Christmas tree the other day so that needs decorating as well 🙂
I am listening to Christmas music and getting crafty!
I’m hoping to find time to actually do baking this year but thumbprint cookies and shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate are my favorites.
I’ve pulled out all the Christmas video’s and we pick a favorite and watch while having some Gourmet Hot chocolate (chocolate Hazelnut flavor) and or Caramel Apple cider and cookies.
The kids love their Christmas countdowns (lego star wars, of course, and candy-set-aside-after-Halloween), but our FAVORITE way to ‘get into the spirit’ is Secret Santa-ing (shh, don’t tell anyone!)
My daughter and I made a Christmas countdown chain! We’re reading Christmas books, watching Rudolph cartoons, decorating, and going to start making Christmas candy soon!!!
Yesterday the kids and I made cookie trains, an annual tradition!
We’ve put lights in the window, but this weekend we’re putting up our first tree in our first house. Wheee!
I am getting into the Holiday Spirit by starting on all of my holiday baking and candy making. This weekend it is salted caramels and rocky road fudge!!
It’s harder for me to get into the holiday season because I live so far away from my family, but I LOVE holiday music. I have played in community orchestras for years but stopped when I moved across the country for grad school 3 years ago. I recently found a small community orchestra where I currently live and I’m ringing in the holiday season by playing Concerts with them for people from all over the area. Even though I’m not with my family for most of the season, 50 people playing carols to our King in perfect harmony always help me feel like it’s actually Christmas!
I’ve been candy making with my little 3 year old, and waiting and waiting for my family to come for Christmas!
So much to be done! I actually make jam in July- strawberry from the Pacific northwest 😉 -to give as gifts at Christmas. SO, that is how I’m getting in the holiday spirit- not to mention putting on Christmas music every day when I get home from work. 🙂
At my house…we are decorating gingerbread houses, baking goodies, and watching the nativity, alot!
All the Christmas decorations are up! We have been popping popcorn at night and watching Christmas movies. The kids love this!
Making and eating Christmas cookies and enjoying our Christmas Tree.
I am pulling together all my christmas cookie/pastry recipes and planning my baking extravaganza! I love to bake and listen to Christmas music…always makes it Christmas time to me:)
It’s been a slow start but I blame it on working in the retail environment (I work for philosophy) and have been pushing holiday since october LOL…but as soon as I baked up my first batch of Chocolate Mint Christmas cookies that I make every year…it was definately time to get into the spirit and that tree went up so fast I didn’t realize the getting into the spirit would be so quick and EASY!!
I am now ready for more baking and now starting to feel like Christmas in our house…and the fact my 4 year old fell in love with Rudolph and we have been watching and reading the story every night
Life’s always so busy, I feel like Christmas flies by every year. So this year I started playing Christmas music the day after Halloween. 🙂
Did the house lights and tree. Now we’re reading inspiring Christmas stories early each morning before the kids leave for school. Also, making candy to give away to neighbors and friends.
Our tree went up the day before Thanksgiving. Christmas music has filled our home hour after hour. We have pine scented candles in every room it seems. And in a manner unheard of for him, my husband is buying gifts left and right. It’s never felt more like Christmas!
Singing Christmas songs with my girls and taking them to all the holiday events around town!
The family is coming over this weekend to help decorate the tree – this always puts me right into the holiday spirit 🙂
I just finished putting together a recipe book and a Christmas story book for my son’s first Christmas away from home. Doing them and watching Christmas movies has been a treat.