(November 2009) -- This holiday season, there’s an inexpensive way to decorate your home and pamper a loved one: Epsom Salt. For just a few bucks at your local pharmacy or supermarket, Epsom Salt can give your home a winter feel by “frosting” your windows, helping create ornaments and cards, even helping keep your Christmas tree fresh and reducing the number of pine needles that fall. The ideas are fun, easy, and they’re great ways to create family traditions.

Here a few tips for gift ideas and for decorating:

Homemade Holiday Bath Salts

After a year of economic stress, what would be better than to give the gift of relaxation to your friends and family?

A homemade spa treatment using Epsom Salt is an inexpensive and versatile gift idea proven to reduce stress, improve health and work wonders on the skin. Use this recipe to create one big spa set for someone, or many little stocking stuffers.

• Mix two cups of Epsom Salt with a few drops of fragrance or essential oil, such as lavender, to create a custom bath crystal. Add a few drops of food coloring or 1/2 teaspoon of glycerin if you like. Use red and green colorings and peppermint fragrance for a holiday twist.
• Pour salt mixture into an air-tight container, such as an empty mason jar.
• Dress the jar with a pretty ribbon or create your own labels using simple computer software for a personalized gift.

• Dissolve four heaping tablespoons of Epsom Salt in one cup of beer. The mixture will foam up, so be sure to use a bowl deep enough to contain the reaction.
• Allow mixture to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature, until the salts dissolve and the foam dissipates. It’s OK if some salt crystals are in the bottom of the bowl.
• Using a terry cloth rag, apply the mixture to the window by dipping the rag into the solution, then sweeping it across the window as if you were washing it. While the window is still wet, go back and dab at it with the damp rag. This will make the frost crystals appear more realistic when dry.
• Allow the window to dry overnight. In the morning you will see the realistic frost crystals. If you “frosted” too much, use a damp rag to rub away parts of the crystals or use it to draw pretty designs or words.

• Keep the plant in a place where it gets bright, indirect light most of the day and make sure to pour off any water that drains through to the saucer.
• Sprinkle a tablespoon of Epsom Salt around the plant to make sure it gets enough magnesium and to prevent leaf discoloration.

• Start by cutting the construction paper into any holiday shape, we recommend snowflakes, or folding the paper to make a card.
• Prepare Epsom Salt solution, starting with ½ cup of hot water and adding Epsom Salt slowly, while stirring, until the mixture becomes thick. Using a paintbrush, brush the solution over one side of each snowflake. Cover the entire surface with just a thin layer of the solution, too much will supersaturate the paper making it easy to tear. If creating a card, draw the holiday scene with markers then paint on the mixture as you see fit.
• Allow the decorations to dry, then flip, stir the solution and brush it on the other side. Allow this side to dry, as well.
• If creating a hanging ornament, take a six inch piece of string and dip it in the mixture. After the string and ornament dry, punch a hole where you want to thread the string through and you will have a beautifully frosted ornament as a result.

• Mix two cups of Karo syrup, two ounces of liquid chlorine bleach, two pinches of Epsom Salt, ½ teaspoon of Borax and one teaspoon of chelated iron in a two-gallon bucket with hot water to within one inch of the top of the bucket. Stir thoroughly.
• Take your recently purchased tree and cut an inch off the base. Immediately stand the tree in the solution and leave for 24 hours.
• Keeping the remaining solution, place your tree in a stand that contains a well where liquids can be poured.
• Fill the well with the mixture after the tree is in its final location.
• Each day, the well of the tree stand must be topped off with the solution.