When putting together a gift, the giver invests a lot of time and effort into ensuring the contents are just right. If we liken a present to a dish served in a restaurant, it's essentially what the recipient will be enjoying. While that constitutes the bulk of "what matters," a massive opportunity is missed if that dish is served on a paper plate.
How you wrap a gift can elevate the sensations and emotions to the next level; a lush bow and an artisan card are an easy way to achieve this. As we approach the last few days before Christmas, you might find yourself overwhelmed with a pile of boxes and gifts, and perhaps you've forgotten gift tags! Don’t worry; it happens to all of us. And by all of us, I mean me.
One clever way to circumvent this, assuming you have as much variety in paper as recipients, is to choose one pattern of gift wrap per person. Santa paper for Dad, Rudolph paper for Mom—you get the idea. Just don’t forget to make yourself a key so you have one less thing to worry about. On a piece of paper, put a scrap of each and write the recipient’s name next to it. This makes it easy for the kiddos to know what’s theirs and takes the mental load off your plate.
Have you found yourself without Christmas wrapping paper but with a giant roll of butcher paper from kids' crafts? No stress here either! Just use a different ribbon to denote the giftee. This is also a fun opportunity to keep the little ones busy. Have them go nuts drawing and putting stickers all over the presents. An extra bonus: this will keep the stickers off your walls! My parents would have loved this idea a few decades ago…
As we head into the New Year, this last trick is more about the shopping than the wrapping. If you found yourself rushing to get presents in the last few weeks, I’ll let you in on a little secret we do in my house: we keep a gift tub! For those nearest and dearest, we shop year-round. Whether they'll receive the gift for a birthday or a holiday doesn’t have to be set, but this way, when we find a gift that truly makes us think of them, we buy it! In years gone by, I would write it down for later, lose the idea, and then kick myself—now it’s in a closet ready to go! This can be a little wonkier with kids whose interests can change by the day, but for adults, this is such a time saver.
If this has left you more stressed out than relieved, take a gander at our gift packages! We’re always happy to send something on your behalf. Think you have a wicked good idea you’d like to see us stock? Send us an email at hello@ourfavoritethingsshop.com – we’d love to hear it!
At Our Favorite Things, our commitment to curating memorable experiences is reflected in our collection of thoughtfully designed and beautifully packaged gifts. Join us as we explore the art of thoughtful gift packaging, creating lasting impressions that go beyond the ordinary. Thanks for reading our first blog post! We hope you’ll come back for more.