Dried Oranges Christmas Touch
Dried oranges have been a long time Christmas tradition — a newer tradition for us. Not only are the inexpensive, they are simple to make, smell delicious & add a festive touch to almost anything. I share my love for this century old tradition, some history behind it, how you can make your own & a few ways you can use them for yourself. I can fully say that this is something I look forward to doing each year & something I cannot see myself stopping. I tend to work my entire holiday scheme around these oranges & that won’t be going anywhere.
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In this blog post you will happily find…
+ why I love using dried oranges for Christmas
+ shopping list & directions for making your own
+ decor ideas for using these through out the season
Why I love using dried oranges during Christmas time.
Real Christmas trees, fresh cedar garland, do you see a theme? After our big move in the RV a few years ago, I created a passion for simplicity & storage ease. We sold so much of our growing Christmas decor & hope to keep it minimal even now that we are in our forever home. Using dried oranges is something we can recreate every year without breaking the bank & adding to our “real” Christmas filled home. When it comes to decorating, I tend to go the natural element route to begin with. These oranges are the perfect touch to add natural color to our space.
The history behind these sweet additions are something special as well. Living in old homes, this one from 1890, pulling history & charm into my decor is an extra challenge I am eager to take on. If you do a little research, there are many ways these oranges came into the Christmas tradition. One of the biggest tales is that during the Great Depression, oranges were seen as luxury. People strived to gift them because of this reason as they saw it as splurging. So — I add these oranges today as an inexpensive touch, but truth is, it all started out as quite the opposite concept.
Lastly, they are so, so simple. Keep scrolling where I have instructions all about how you can make your own. Don’t get too ahead of yourself though, the instructions aren’t much. That’s how easy this project is.
How to make your own dried oranges for your holiday festivities.
There are multiple ways these can be made, but I will share how I have done them/do them. If you have different appliances or are interested in finding other ways, you won’t miss the hundreds of DIY’s there are out there of this cute Christmas tradition.
shopping list
Oranges — I am able to get 8 slices out of a semi large orange. However many slices you want, think of getting 8 slices per orange. I used 3 oranges (24 slices) for our mantle garland & 2 oranges (16 slices) for some ornaments on the tree.
Parchment Paper
Paper Towel
instructions
Slice your oranges about 1/4 inch thick or as thin as you can.
Pat dry as much as possible & place onto parchment paper OR a cookie rack on a pan.
Put pan inside cooking appliance.
I used our Ninja 10 in 1 Air Fryer. You can also bake these in the oven. Instructions I found for baking called for 170 degrees & up to 6 hours. Flipping & checking the oranges every hour. I did ours in the air fryer on the “dehydration” function at 130 degrees & for 3 hours. Thicker slices may need more time, but as long as they are pretty dried I call them good! Watch each hour to make sure oranges are not turning brown if you are doing the bake setting or using an oven.
Once dried, poke a hole & run your twin or string through however you would like. Hang as desired & you are good to go!
here is a link to the air fryer we use for everything!
Different ways you can sprinkle holiday cheer using oranges throughout your home.
Pictured you will see I used a large portion of our oranges as garland on our mantle. I love the added color with the deep reds & golds I like to use for the holidays. I also now have some hung on the tree with some deep red ornaments. Adding grapefruit is another way you can get more festive colors using natural elements. You would do those the same as the oranges.
Adding these slices to your table setting napkins, gift wrapping or in a bowl for display are also fun ways to add some festiveness to your home. Adding just 3 or 4 slices to each room will make you feel as if you decorated for the holidays. If you already have a plant or faux greenery in your bathroom, string an orange slice or two onto the vase of it & it will feel like Christmas decor. Just don’t forget to throw the slices out after the season is over!
Orange slices are a Christmas tradition from many many years ago & a new one for us. It is a fun & simple way to add Christmas aroma, color & nature into your home as you decorate. If you haven’t tried out this trend yet, I highly encourage you to as its something simple & inexpensive & something the kids may love doing as well. Add some cranberries or cinnamon sticks with your oranges & cedar & you have a whole Christmas vibe at your finger tips.