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!**
Right now I am watching Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer with my kids and putting ornaments (lots of homemade ones) on our Christmas tree….I love this time of year!
We finally put our tree up on Monday and now I am totally in the mood for Christmas!
Moving in our new home
I had a little girls-only get together at my place! We watched holiday movies, ate food, and even made gingerbread houses. It was fun to be a little kid again!
I just bought baking supplies to start baking cookies!
We are decorating ginger bread houses and listening to Christmas music and baking lots of goodies!
Delivering treats, listening to Christmas gifts, the kids are earning money to buy each other presents, just enjoying this time of year! Would love one of these baskets.
I am getting in the holiday spirit by doing Christmas crafts.
Every night when I plug in my Christmas tree lights I get into the holiday spirit!
I’m doing lots of sewing for gifts. And I’m TRYING to get my tree up and decorated 🙂
Reading scriptures about Jesus. It’s great to focus more on Him!
I am getting into the Christmas spirt by baking!!! we are making holiday cookies today!!!
I just graduated from college (finally! Took me 13 years!), so now I am really ready to relax and celebrate with my husband and two daughters. We finally got our decorations out!
I’ve been getting into the holiday spirit by playing Christmas music in our home and doing A LOT of baking!
Prepping holiday crafts for my kids’ school, and making cookies (some of which might make it to the neighbors. Maybe.)
I am getting into the Christmas spirit by making plaster of Paris belsnickels, searching for the best crab cake recipe for Christmas Eve dinner, re-reading Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and cutting fresh cedar and pine to put in every nook and cranny for a delightful Christmas scent!
making hot chocolate and christmas cookies the other night 🙂
I have been preparing for our ward’s Christmas program… but something fun and stress free that I have been doing to get into the holiday excitement is, baking peppermint cookies and making paper snow flakes with my daughter! I also finished my gift wrapping last night! Ya! I’m pretty excited for Christmas to come!!
We have decorated the home and I listen to Christmas music while online, but I have yet to do the baking!
I’m cooking breakfast to Christmas tunes on Pandora right now. I love everything about Christmas.
I’m baking!
Sounds like a great giveaway! I already made my first batch of Christmas cookies lat night, M & M.
*last
My favorite holiday tradition is mailing Christmas cards. Not many people still do it, but I love the thought of someone feeling a little bit of Christmas spirit when they open a pretty card.
Oh, gosh, we planned to have Treat Week at work that last week before Christmas but, dang it, I couldn’t wait. (grin) I made some brown sugar cookies (new recipe) last night and took them in this morning. I only came home with four. Success!
We’ve been watching Christmas specials and Christmas-themed TV episodes non-stop. Just got our tree a few days ago and next week I’ll be starting lots of baking.
Listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas videos and knitting Christmas presents.
We just moved into our first house, and although half of our house is still unpacked and full of boxes, I insisted we put up our Christmas decorations and get a Christmas tree! The tree is literally the only thing in our living room besides a few moving boxes, but you have to make priorities! I wasn’t about to let the Christmas season pass us by… 🙂 And playing Christmas music every chance I get! Love this time of year.
I love Smuckers, thanks so much for this contest.
I am helping out with others (my friend’s family) and hoping that I can allow them to enjoy the season a bit more. I also worked with the children at out church and church school to make the treat bags for the church – white bags with silhouettes of Christmas scenes. I cut the designs on my Silhouette and the children helped with the gluing. Giving to other (to me) embraces the Spirit of Christmas.
Baking, baking, baking!!
My holiday radio station on Pandora is playing 24/7! At home, in the car, on my ipod.. Definitely keeping me in the holiday spirit!