Simplifying Gift Wrapping
Today, Heather shares a fabulous idea that simplifies gift wrapping and makes the holidays accessible for pre-readers:
“I love Christmas and all that comes with it: the music, decorating, baking, shopping, and -- my favorite part -- watching the excitement and anticipation of my four children. The one thing I do not love is gift wrapping, possibly because I come from a family where gift wrapping is considered an art form. The busier my life gets, the more stressful I find this task. Though I love the look of artfully wrapped gifts, my practical side always wonders if it is worth spending so much time on gift wrap that will be ripped off in a few seconds.
As I was shopping at Target for wrapping paper -- envisioning Christmas morning and the frenzied dash towards gifts under the tree, with each child pleading with me to find a gift that is theirs (my triplets are 3-years-old and subsequently are pre-readers) -- I had a Eureka moment. I chose a solid colored wrapping paper for each child, in the same colors we assigned them when they were small (to separate their baby essentials). Emma is purple, Will is blue, Theo is green, and Adie is pink.
And in an effort to hold onto the 'art' while foregoing fancy bows, I have opted for small gifts to garnish the boxes. Match box cars and bouncy balls for the boys, rings and barrettes for Adie, and absurdly cute take-apart Iwako erasers (apparently the latest must have for 1st graders) for Emma.
The solid paper makes gift finding easier (I can even skip gift tags!) and the little gift toppers dress up the packages with minimal fuss. Santa will leave the kids a note (that my Emma can read to all) with instructions on how to find their color coded gifts, and also to thank them for the milk and cookies.”
Image credit: solid wrapping paper rolls from JAM paper and envelopes
Comments
I love the gift topper idea. Thanks for introducing the Iwako erasers to me. They're perfect!
Posted by: Asianmommy | December 22, 2009 12:42 PM | Reply to this comment
This is a great idea. My quick tip is to use tons of same sized shirt boxes to wrap things in. That way I can cut all the paper first and power wrap all the presents. Then it's just the odd big toy or something that takes a little longer.
Posted by: Jenn | December 22, 2009 12:54 PM | Reply to this comment
THANKS so much for the GREAT idea - I just ran out to Target and got mine!
Posted by: lynn | December 23, 2009 3:12 PM | Reply to this comment