If you are lucky enough to live near some pine trees, you can enjoy every holiday season gathering a basket of pine cones to make incredibly good smelling decorations. That's right, I said smelling. Now, pine cones may not have much aroma right from the tree, but I'll tell you how you can change that.

Pine cones are one the easiest things to use in decorating and they'll last a long time. And you can give them a wonderful fragrance by using cinnamon oil concentrate. The aroma will carry you away. If you don't have time to gather your own pine cones, you can find them in craft stores already bagged up.

First of all you must wrap the cones with wire. Thread a length of florist wire through the scales near the base of the cone. (picture 1). Wrap the wire round the cone. Ensure both sides of the wire are of even length and twist the wire together so that it grips the cone firmly (picture 2). Make the end of the wire U-shapped. Bend the U-shaped end behind the cone as shown in the picture or in any direction for it to be inserted into an oasis or dri-hard.

After you must shake the cones and lightly brush them to remove needles and dirt. Apply the oil to the cone with a cotton swab (picture 3). It only takes a few drops. Then store them in a plastic bag for a couple of days so the aroma will permeate the cones even more.

It's easy to can make wreaths strictly from pine cones by wiring or gluing them to a form. Or you may want to attach them to Christmas greenery, tie them to garlands or just pile them up in a bowl.

This is a natural and safe way to add a little zip to your holiday decorations. Now, your pine cones decorations will have the look and fragrance of the holidays.