Who could resist these adorable hedgehogs? Perfect for Christmas, super adorable, and they smell amazing. Best of all these little cuties are 100% biodegradable without a scrap of plastic!

I did a little reading about pomanders before starting this project and found some pretty interesting stuff. People have been giving spiced fruit to each other for the holidays as far back as the medieval ages! The world “pomander” come from the french phrase “pomme d’ambre” which can translate to “amber apple” or “golden apple” because apples (along with oranges, lemons, limes, and even grapefruit) were used as pomanders.

Now, I don’t aim to break tradition but I sure do enjoy tweaking it! Here’s how you can make your own tres 2016 version of the pomander:

You Will Need:

Mandarin orange (I used Cuties)

Whole cloves

Whole star anise

Raisins

First things first! Flip your orange upside down so it’s “belly button” (how is that for a technical term?) is facing down.

Start poking in cloves and cover the back half of your orange. Remember not to push the cloves in all the way since they are supposed to be the hedgehog’s quills!

After you finish with the cloves break off 2 sections from the star anise and insert into the orange as ears. I think it looks extra cute if the tips of the ears point towards each other. :)

Now take two cloves (I used two that still had blossoms in them) and press into the orange as eyes.

Finally poke a clove through a raisin and attach it to the orange as a nose.

Enjoy your festive new pet! (I’m told these smell much better than real hedgehogs.)