the 12 days of [simplifying] Christmas: wrap it up

I enjoy wrapping gifts. It's kind of "my thing." But as much as I like pretty packages, I don't want to be up all night Christmas Eve cutting and taping. I try to relax and get to bed at a decent hour because I know I'll be awakened bright and early the next day!

So what's a super simple way to avoid the stress of an all night wrapping session? Years ago, I started wrapping gifts as I purchased them. The task was spread out which resulted in less stress, and our tree looked even more beautiful with wrapped packages underneath.

WRAPPING IT UP
a few more ideas for simplifying

It's so you!
If you had to choose just one "signature" wrapping paper, what color or design, would it be? A few years ago, I started using the same paper--red with polka dots--for all my gift wrapping. It may seem boring, but I found one style feels more designer-ish and pretty. One or two large rolls of good quality paper go a long way in simplifying wrapping.

Bows using nice ribbon is a bonus. I order large rolls of grosgrain inexpensively from here. Don't be chintzy with the ribbon, it makes a big difference in how polished your packages will look.

Instead of tags, I print labels and adhere them to the bottom of packages.

For me--or you?
When my bigs were younger, I would wrap each child's gifts in a different paper. They never knew which design or pattern was theirs until Christmas morning, so it made things fun. And with no tags necessary, it saved time.

Just plain fun-ny
Speaking of fun, my friend Jen, and her husband Carlisle, decided to play a little joke on their kids last year. They wrapped all the gifts, put tags on them, then wrapped each one again inside a larger box, adding a tag with a different name. Get it? The kids would open a gift, only to find out it was for a sibling. They thought it was hilarious. It wouldn't actually simplify things, but I was totally busting up when Jen was telling me about it.