Put water and granulated sugar into a saucepan, add in cinnamon stick (and star anise if you like) and let the saucepan contents cook down into a syrup. Juice two oranges, cut other two oranges into slices. With one of the sliced orange ends, stick 16 cloves in the peel. Put juice and clove peel into saucepan and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Empty wine bottles, saucepan, orange slices, cranberries, and cranberry juice into a crockpot (everything except amaretto) and cook it on the low setting for at least one hour; I aim for 6 hours.

Just before serving, add in the cup of amaretto (or more) and enjoy!