Make an elegant, fragrant, all natural gift topper with fresh evergreen branches, cinnamon sticks, and dried orange slices. This gift topper tutorial is a great way to dress up a present wrapped in plain brown kraft paper.

Christmas present decorated with a a gift topper made from dried orange slices, a cinnamon stick, a sprig of holly, and fresh evergreen branches. Text overlay reads "Dried Orange Slice Gift Topper."

Not only is it beautiful, but it smells like Christmas! The mixture of citrus, sprigs of Christmas tree greens, and cinnamon is heavenly.

Closeup of a Dried Orange Slice Gift Topper made with fresh evergreen, holly, cinnamon sticks, and dried orange slices.

I came up with this gift topper idea when I had leftover dried orange slices from making my dried orange slice garland. I'm going to use more of the leftover orange slices to make some citrus simmer pots to make the whole house smell amazing this Christmas.

How to Make Dried Orange Slices

It all starts with dehydrated orange slices, of course. You can purchase dried orange slices, but they're really easy to make in the oven on low heat.

Oranges sliced and arranged on a parchment paper lined baking sheet to make dried orange slices.

Use a sharp knife to cut fresh oranges (or other citrus fruits) in thin slices. Arrange the slices on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, then flip the orange slices over, and continue baking on low temperature for a further 30 minutes.

Dehydrated orange slices on a parchment lined baking sheet on a white marble surface.

The thinner the orange slices are, the more quickly they will dry out. If some of your oranges are cut a little more thickly, you may need to continue cooking a bit longer. For best results, try to make your orange slices as even and equal as possible.

Let the dry oranges cool to room temperature before using them for crafts.

How to Make a Dried Orange Slice Gift Topper

Plain brown wrapping paper looks gorgeous when dressed up with natural elements!

Materials for making a Dried Orange Slice Gift Topper on a white wooden surface. materials include dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, string, brown kraft paper, sprigs of holly, and evergreen branches.

Materials for a Dried Orange and Evergreen Natural Gift Topper

brown kraft paper
twine or string
fresh evergreen branches
sprigs of holly
cinnamon sticks
dry orange slices
low temperature glue gun

Dried Orange Slice Gift Topper on a package wrapped in brown paper, sitting on a red and white gingham piece of fabric.

The process? Tie the string around the package like a ribbon, the use a low temperature hot glue gun to glue sprigs of greenery, cinnamon sticks, and dried oranges to the top of the present. It really is that easy to make these Christmas decorations. In the video above, you can see how I play around with the elements to come up with an arrangement I like.

Present wrapped in brown kraft paper, tied with white string, and decorated with a gift topper made from dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and fresh greenery.

How Long Does a Dried Orange Gift Topper Last?

If you were using just dried oranges and cinnamon sticks, it would last for months. Using fresh greenery complicates things a bit. It really depends on what kind of evergreen branches you're using. I used yew and holly, because it's what I had growing in my backyard. The yew stays pliable a surprisingly long time--I had some that lasted nearly two weeks without being in water. The holly dries out more quickly, but retains its shape and color nicely. The gift does look best if it's given within a couple days.

Now to think up other fun ways to use dehydrated oranges this holiday season!