How to Make Christmas Orange Slice Ornaments

When it comes to what I put on my Christmas tree, I love to go with the "simple is best" theme. I am sure that doesn't surprise you given the name of my blog.   Along with simple, I love a primitive, rustic type of look for Christmas.  I like to imagine myself decorating the way Ma Ingalls would decorate her tree.

Orange slices are a way to add beauty at a very small cost to your Christmas tree.  Plus, if you are like me, as much as you adore clementines when they are in season, you may have overestimated how many your family can eat at one time.  I clearly needed to do something with them before they started to go bad.

Here's how to make your own orange slice ornaments:

First slice your oranges about a centimeter thick.  But wait!  Make sure you cut them the right way.  You don't want them to end up like this:

Oops!  This does not give it the nice, orange wheel look.

Much better.  And prettier.

Turn your oven on to a low setting of 150 degrees.

Place them directly on the rack of your oven.  Do NOT put them on a pan or they will stick and burn and be ruined.  And then Christmas will be ruined.  Okay, maybe not Christmas.  But it will be a sad moment.

I let mine "cook" for about 4 hours.  Keep an eye on them because ovens vary and thickness of your oranges will determine how long it will need till it's fully dried out.

Once it's dried out you can stick a string through it to hang on your tree.

So simple and so frugal. This is a great idea especially if you don't have many Christmas ornaments.  We have plenty now that have been given to us over the years, but if you are newly married or just starting out, chances are you may be low in the ornament department.  Pair these oranges with some popcorn and cranberry garland, and you've got yourself a gorgeous tree!

Merry Christmas!  5 more days to go!