This time of year, we can't help but turn our thoughts to the upcoming Christmas holiday. Every store, every radio station, every television show and commercial reminds us there are only so many days before the big day. But if you are like me, you put off getting gifts until the last minute. Or maybe you found yourself with a few last minute additions to your gift giving list. Or, you might even want to give something a little bit different, a little more magical, this year. To that end, I present three easy to make, last-minute kitchen witch gifts you can hand out to friends and family.

Each recipe takes only minutes to put together and requires only a few ingredients that you can pick up in the baking aisle of your local grocery store. The teas can be put together in five minutes or less. The salts require a bit more time: about ten minutes of preparation and two hours of cooking time. The extracts are also quick to put together but require three to four weeks to extract.

Each of the recipes include ingredients that, in their own right and when mixed together, make combinations that will add a bit of magic to each meal.

Holiday Psychic Tea
Making loose herbal teas is perhaps the easiest act of kitchen witchery there is. You combine your ingredients, add boiled water, and you have a magical brew.

Create a tea blend that brings luck and success (via the star anise and cinnamon), especially in areas of psychic powers and divination (via the orange and vanilla) with a touch of cloves for protection. It was a tradition in Yule festivals to practice fortune telling, especially with regards to future lovers and spouses. Come Yule, make up a pot of this tea and drink it while you consult your favorite oracle.

To make the Holiday Psychic Tea you will need:

• 4 parts star anise
• 2 parts dried orange
• 1 part cinnamon stick
• 1 part vanilla bean
• 1 part cloves

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

Citrus- & Herb-Flavored Salts
Flavored salts are a perfect gift, especially for those who might not be that confident in the kitchen. The salts can help to add a touch of flavor and protective energies to any meal.

The two recipes below bring in the sun energies of citrus to help with the "winter blues." Thyme has healing energies whereas rosemary is used in protective magic. These salts can be used in soups and other meals to aid in the fight against colds and other cold weather maladies.

Lemon Thyme Infused Salt
Ingredients

• Zest from one lemon
• ½ cup coarse sea salt
• 2 tsp fresh thyme

Directions

1. Mix ingredients together
2. Spread on cookie sheet
3. Bake in a 225° oven for 2 hours. Mix halfway through.
4. Remove from oven to cool
5. Stir to break up lumps
6. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar

Orange, Rosemary & Thyme-Infused Salt
Ingredients

• Zest from one orange
• ½ cup coarse sea salt
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves

Directions

1. Mix ingredients together
2. Spread on cookie sheet
3. Bake in a 225° oven for 2 hours. Mix halfway through.
4. Remove from oven to cool
5. Stir to break up lumps
6. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar

Orange Vanilla Flavored Extract
A gift of homemade extracts will be welcomed by your friends and family who love to bake. Use an alcohol with a high proof—80% or more—to get the most out of your herbs and spices. The alcohol will burn off during baking. Vanilla is often used in love spells, but it also has associations with personal empowerment. Orange peel is used for money drawing and abundance. Pairing these two together in an extract creates a potent potion.

Use the extract in personal prosperity baked goods. Cookies made with walnuts, dried cranberries, and a teaspoon of this extract will give a boost of self-esteem and brain power to whoever eats them.

To make the extract you will need 80-proof alcohol (like vodka or everclear), a navel orange, 2 vanilla beans, and a 4-ounce jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Wash and dry the orange. Then, peel long strips from around the orange, getting just the zest, not the bitter white part. Place the peels in the jar. Cut open your vanilla beans to expose the seeds. Place these in the jar as well. Fill the jar all the way up with the alcohol. Make sure it covers the orange zest and vanilla beans completely. Seal the jar tightly.

Now put your bottle in a cool, dark place. Every few days, turn the jar upside down to mix the contents. Let it extract for 3 - 4 weeks. The longer you let it sit, the more flavorful the extract will be. When you are ready, strain out the orange zest and vanilla bean and bottle your extract in a pretty jar. Add a label and you are all set.

The key to these last-minute gifts is two-fold. First, there is the intention aspect. Make each recipe with loving and caring thoughts. Think about who the gifts are for and how you want them to feel when they use them. This infuses your gifts with happy energies that will last as long as they do. Secondly, present your gifts in pretty jars and bottles. There is a running joke that witches love bottles. It's funny because it is true. Your friends and family will remember the gift that the bottle held for years after they've used the contents.

Make sure that when you gift your teas, salts, and extracts that you include a little note about their magical properties and suggested uses so that your family and friends can engage in their own kitchen witchery.

There are more ideas on how to celebrate Yule in my book, The Natural Home Wheel of the Year: Crafting, Cooking, Decorating & Magic for Every Sabbat.