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!**
Definatley baking! And teaching my little ones Christmas Carols. If I try to change the radio from the christmas songs, (because lets face it, some people should not sing Christmas music) they both beg me to change it back!
Making hot chocolate and eating lots of cookies!
We are making a batch of salt-dough ornaments for my daughters FIRST Christmas, complete with cute little hand & foot prints :oD
gingerbread houses
I have made 3 of my 8 batches of toffee to give away, take to parties, etc. Tonight we are letting each of our kids choose a nativity set to use and while we tell/read the Christmas story they will each “act it out” using their own set. If there’s time after that we will get out our chimes and do a few Christmas carols. Then we’ll have a piece of toffee for a treat.
I have been getting into the festive spirit since Thanksgiving ended. It is my favorite time of year. I love listening to Christmas music the most. Went to our Stake’s Christmas concert last night which really helped me feel the spirit of the holiday. I have been making Christmas lanterns for my friends this year (thanks for the idea) as well. They are so cute!
Every year to get into the Christmas spirit, my husband and I bake. The tradition has actually grown quite a bit in the five years since we’ve been married: we started with sugar cookies that I made with my mom every Christmas as a child, added his childhood Christmas frosting and my childhood Christmas fudge, then added on peppermint bark, shortbread cookies, and this year we tried his grandma’s buck-eyes (a ball of peanut butter and sugar dipped in chocolate). We spent all of last Saturday making all these goodies (turns out we got the buck-eye recipe wrong and had to improvise, taking much longer than we expected…). And now comes the fun part – giving them away…oh, and eating them too. 🙂
Christmas cards are my favorite part of Christmas. Love getting mine in the mail the first week of Dec. and love hanging the cards we receive on a wall in the kitchen. It’s a happy New Year’s Eve when our card wall is covered from ceiling to floor.
I’m planning on doing a little holiday baking today and tsking the kids to see the lightd tonight 🙂 Thanks!
*taking the kids to see the lights … apparently I need to look at what I type before I post it 🙂
I downloaded a TON of Christmas music and I’ve been rocking out to it in my office at work (I’m an engineer so I work with all boys and they think I’m weird…but I don’t care). Also, I bought this awesome Christmas Tree scented air freshener that plugs into my USB port on my computer, which is totally fantastic and festive!
I’m getting into the holiday spirit by making your creamy fudge and checking out your other delicious sounding recipes! I’m so glad I discoverd your blog! By the way, the fudge was totally amazing! It is a good thing I made it as gifts or I would have eaten it all! YUM!
The house is decorated and the shopping is done, so now it is time to bake and enjoy this special time with family and friends.
Just put up the Christmas tree! Love the jars!!
Making costumes for a childrens production of Christmas Carol!
We make lots of different treats, do an activity Advent calendar, we attend several different Christmas parties, listen to Christmas music, visit Santa and go shopping.
Having a difficult time getting into the Christmas sprirt this year. After all, I decorated my house while listening to my workout playlist (NO Christmas music included). I have been baking though….
Lots of holiday parties right now. Good friends. Good times. Good food and drink. Yum!
Every Sunday and Wednesday night on our way home from church we take a different route so we can look at Christmas lights!
I listen to Christmas music every day! Been doing some baking and entertaining already. I LOVE this time of year. And the family get togethers are just around the corner!
I just celebrated Christmas with my father’s side of the family last night. It really put me in the holiday spirit.
My kids and I are heading home on Wednesday for Christmas. We haven’t been home in 2 1/2 years. So I’m getting in the mood by doing laundry and running errands and packing suitcases. All of the “regular” chores feel Christmasy when you’re heading home for the holidays!
Putting up the tree with my 2 little boys and husband!
I am baking a ton and just finished decorating the house for Christmas! I am hoping for some snow soon.
Wrapping gifts and baking cookies. Merry Christmas!
I just made a Christmas wreath, and we’ve been eating a lot of Christmas cookies.
My family is getting in the holiday spirit by making cookies, wrapping presents and getting Christmas cards in the mail. We also went and watch the Christmas Boat parade here in Portland. I love this time of year.
I’m getting in to the holiday spirit by looking for a new menorah to surprise my husband with!
We just got back from Disneyland. The Happiest place on earth at the most wonderful time of the year. Can’t beat that!
I’m in a bit of a rut at the moment, but as soon as the oven is fired up and I decide on the holiday cookies to make, things will look up.
We’ve been doing a different Christmas activity every day and blasting Christmas tunes on Pandora 🙂