One of my favorite ways to make the house smell like Christmas is making scented pinecones. Making scented pine cones has become a tradition during the holiday season. Scented pine cones are easy and fun to make, make great gifts and fun scented pine cone ornaments for the Christmas tree.

Scented Pine cones

We have found that cinnamon scented pine cones work better than cinnamon sticks, providing a comforting scent during the winter months. We add a little sparkle to our cinnamon pine cones which makes them a pretty decoration too.

My favorite pine cone scent is cinnamon, but there are some other scents of Christmas I like too. Filling the room with natural scents is healthier than those synthetic room fragrances…and cheaper too!

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How to Make Scented Pine Cones

My favorite part about making your own scented pine cones is that for a small amount of money, your house will look and smell like Christmas!

Supplies Needed to Make Scented Pinecones

Pinecones – You can buy pinecones from your local craft store or pick up your own pine cones outside
Holiday scented essential oils – my favorite is cinnamon, but also try the other scents of Christmas like pine, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, orange, peppermint, vanilla or a blend like Christmas Spirit.
Glass spray bottle with warm water
(Optional) A little bit of glitter and glue or glitter glue – you can buy pinecones coated in glitter if you want to skip this step.
(Optional) Ribbon to hang on the Christmas tree or elsewhere

Directions to Make Homemade Scented Pine Cones

Step 1

Clean off the pine cones from any outside debris. Check there aren’t any little bugs hiding!

Step 2

(Optional) Add glitter with glue or use glitter glue to add a little sparkle to the ends of the pine cone.

Step 3

To get the cinnamon scent on them, use a small glass spritzer bottle and add 10 drops of essential oil for every 1 oz of water.

Give it a good shake and then spray the pinecone. You can adjust the amount of oil per water ratio as you like, depending on how strong you’d like it to be.

Step 4

The best way to transform it into an easy homemade ornament craft is to simply add a little ribbon and hang it on your tree or front door. These also look great and smell great hanging in your room or windows.

Why We Love This SCented Pinecones REcipe

A lot of scented pinecones, if you’re making them yourself, will require a baking sheet and low heat, but this is a more natural way to make sure your home smells like your favorite home fragrance whether it’s the holidays or not. Plus, these make such a lovely gift.

And it is an inexpensive way to make home decor without spending an arm and leg at the home decor store. When your pine cones are done, as in they’re old and not so good anymore (after years of use it happens) they make a great fire starter. Just throwing that out there.

But you can make different scented pine cones throughout the year. Use holiday scents like ground cinnamon. Who doesn’t love the smell of the cinnamon pinecones? Or use your favorite scent for different seasons like: linen, lemon, pumpkin spice. Personally I love the cinnamon smell so I keep using drops of cinnamon to keep my living room smelling spicy and nice. You can even use this method on those cinnamon brooms too.

Yield: 10

How To Make Scented Pine Cones

Use this DIY recipe with essential oils to make scented pine cones for the holiday season and winter decor.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Active Time 2 hours 35 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes

Difficulty easy

Estimated Cost under $10

Materials

Pinecones – You can buy pinecones from your local craft store or pick up your own pine cones outside
Holiday scented pure essential oils - we like the smell of cinnamon
Glass spray bottle with warm water
(Optional) A little bit of glitter and glue or glitter glue – you can buy pinecones coated in glitter if you want to skip this step.
(Optional) Ribbon to hang on the Christmas tree or elsewhere

Instructions

Clean off the pine cones from any outside debris. Check there aren't any little bugs hiding!
(Optional) Add glitter with glue or use glitter glue to add a little sparkle to the ends of the pine cone.
To get the cinnamon scent on them, use a small glass spritzer bottle and add 10 drops of essential oil for every 1 oz of water.
Give it a good shake and then spray the pinecone. You can adjust the amount of oil per water ratio as you like, depending on how strong you’d like it to be.
The best way to transform it into an easy homemade ornament craft is to simply add a little ribbon and hang it on your tree or front door.

How do I display scented pine cones?

Place your scented pine cones in holiday canisters, bowls, coffee table baskets, glass hurricane jars or anywhere throughout the house. You aren’t limited to just the holidays either…fall and winter are perfect for displaying pine cones.

How long do scented pine cones last?

The longevity of your scented pine cones will depend on the type of scent you use and where the pine cone has been displayed or stored. If you used essential oils like we suggest, then the cinnamon (or other) scent will last up to a year. If you use artificial fragrances or perfumes (yuck), the scent will fade in a few weeks.

To extend the life of your scented pine cones, display them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

How do you make scented pine cones smell again?

Make extra spritzer of 10 drops of essential oil to 1 oz of water and spray as needed to refresh your scented pine cones.

How to store scented pine cones?

To keep your scented pine cones for next year, place them in a sealed airtight container or ziploc bag. Make sure the box they are stored in is in a cool, dry place without direct light.

Holiday scented pinecones - finished pine cone in front of a Christmas tree - Kids Activities Blog — Kids can also help make this DIY craft.

Our Favorite Christmas Essential Oil

For this, I used Young Living’s Christmas Spirit essential oil because it is a blend of orange, cinnamon and spruce. If you’re looking for the perfect Christmas-y oil, this is it.

Related: How your fake tree can have that Christmas tree smell