gift wrapping

Holiday Wrap

Just a quick holiday check in to see how ya’ll are doing with your shopping, baking, wrapping and trimming. I myself am doing quite well with my holiday to do list. So well in fact that I thought I’d take a moment to share two of my favorite gift exchange traditions. Lisa Jean, this one’s for you, a girl after my own heart who has a weakness for artful and thoughtfully wrapped packages with ribbon, lots of ribbon. And then maybe some more ribbon.

1. Nothing says the holidays like cheetah

A few years ago while  pawing through the boxes of wrapping paper in Target desperate to find something free of snowmen and hideously glittered poinsettias, I  had an epiphany. Essentially the heavens opened and angels clad in Santa hats and motorcycle jackets, wielding trumpets and scotch tape,  sang out, “HEY, LAURA ASPINALL, don’t  use traditional wrapping paper, go wild, go crazy, get whatever YOU WANT!!!” It was really a very freeing moment. I may have even shed a tear or two as I fled the Christmas isle in search of glorious, beautiful, Christmas -cartoon -character-devoid wrapping paper. And let me tell you, its everywhere and its so much prettier.

This year I found my sweet wrapping paper gems at Marshall’s. Gorgeous, high quality, metallics and animal prints, for a whopping $2.99 a roll. Okay, one was $3.99. I splurged. The black and silver wood grain paper featured above is my favorite this year.

One of the truly great things about going with the nontraditional is you can use it all year round. The secret is in the trimmings. Traditional Christmas colored ribbons, and an ornament or two is all you need for this paper to read Christmas. Swap that out with a black, or hot pink ribbon later in the year and you have an awfully pretty birthday gift.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Discounts and Coupons

I clip coupons and then never use them. They sit stuck to the frig while I stand in line at some craft store or another cursing myself that yet again I left my 50% off one item coupon at home. Well, no more! This year I discovered that most major craft and fabric stores have an app. Micheal’s, Joann’s, Beverly’s all have apps where you can access their current coupons immediately and then just show the store clerk your phone. The angels didn’t make an appearance, but there was a faint trumpeting to be heard if you listened closely. For me this year that meant that I got all my ribbon half off. Definitely worth taking the two minutes to download their app.

3. Its all over but the shouting (what does that mean, anyways…)

In my family we do something called tree gifts. Its an English tradition that takes place after dinner on Christmas Day. After all the presents have been opened, the food has been eaten, and everyone is starting to think to themselves, “Well, I guess that’s it til next year…”, someone calls out, “Wait! We have tree gifts!”, and we get excited all over again. Tree gifts are small, low cost gifts, that adorn the tree. Everyone gets one and they are typically labeled, “from the tree”. Our family has come to really enjoy and look forward to this tradition. In a nutshell, its a fun way to end Christmas day.

Happy Holidays, everyone, and don’t forget to make some room for yourself this holiday season. Until next year!