CINNAMON SCENTED PINECONES
as many pinecones as you want to use (I had 5 big ones left from some craft that I had made ~ I bought them at either Michael's or JoAnn's ~ but you can certainly gather your own! )
a bottle of cinnamon essential oil (best) or cinnamon extract (at the grocery store, and easier to find than the essential oil)
ground cinnamon
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If you gathered your own pinecones, you definitely want to be sure you aren't bringing any unwanted "guests" into your house, so prepare them by putting them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake for about an hour on the middle rack of your oven at 200 degrees F. This will cause tightly-closed pinecones to open up as well as kill bugs and/or bacteria that may have hitched a ride on them to your home. Let the pinecones cool completely.
Put the pinecones into a large zip-top baggie. Drizzle cinnamon oil or extract over them (I used about 1/4 of the little bottle for 5 big pinecones). Then sprinkle some ground cinnamon over them all. Tightly seal the bag shut and shake gently (to coat all the pinecones).
Let them stay in the sealed bag for at least an hour (or even better overnight). Then take them out and use for decorations. (If they need a "touch up" later {or even next year}; just spray them with a combination of distilled or purified water and more cinnamon oil/extract)