Yep, it's Elf. The part when Jovie is wrapping presents in the make-shift North Pole in the department store. I used to put ribbons on Christmas presents and spend lots of time making them look pretty. I used to know someone who made the most beautiful bows and I never wanted to open the gift...it was just so pretty to look at. I can't remember the last time I spent time making "accessories" for a present. Instead, I find the beauty of the paper itself to be enough.
I know it's silly to spend money on wrapping paper that will just get thrown away, but I think the paper is part of the present and I choose the paper wisely for each recipient. I don't care how much it costs....if Rylee would love Minnie Mouse paper at $6/roll, you better believe I'm going to buy it (luckily Santa took care of the Minnie paper this year). I've been to plenty of "grab bag" type of parties where you get to pick a random present --- everyone always chooses the pretty ones first and the less fortunate looking ones get picked last.
There is so much cute wrapping paper out there today, I don't know how the "less cute" paper is even still around....except to provide a cheaper choice for those who are practical and realize that spending money on paper to be thrown away is wasteful (Scrooges!! Just kidding.). I have tons of wrapping paper in my basement right now and I'm tired of all of it. I don't mind if I don't use an entire roll; I like buying new each year (though I've been using a couple of the same rolls for 3 years now). I usually buy after the holidays though, when it is on sale. Maybe I should start a wrapping paper exchange where we can all swap left over paper after the holiday....
Rylee helped me wrap all of the presents for her cousins this year and she too enjoyed selecting the perfect paper for each recipient. She would say, "I think (insert name) would like this paper." It was cute. She also knows which gifts under the tree she wants to open based on the paper it's wrapped in....boy will she be disappointed when she opens Wyatt's bibs :)
Sometimes it's hard to find the right size box to wrap gifts in, but I think the presentation looks so much nicer when gifts are in boxes. There are definitely times that I don't worry about a box (Wyatt won't care what his gifts look like), but in my opinion, boxes are almost always a must for the perfect presentation....and to keep the gift from getting guessed before it's open.
Did anyone who "likes" the Today show on Facebook happen to read the over 1,000 comments on their post yesterday about the number of gifts kids should get for Christmas? No? You mean, no one else spent an hour of the day reading nearly all of those comments besides me? Weird.
Anyway, I was quite entertained by the responses people gave to the posed question. A lot of people follow the bible and give their children each 3 gifts. That makes complete sense to me. And then there were people on the other end of the spectrum who give each of their kids 20+ gifts and spend hundreds of dollars on each of their kids (one woman said she got her son a go-kart, 4wheeler and dirt bike --- seriously?!?!?!?). I loved Christmas presents as much as the next kid, but I was just as happy with my few presents as I would have been with 20+. What kid has more than 20 items on their wish list anyway?? How could you play with 20+ gifts in one day?? I couldn't even think of 20 items to get my kids.
I guess looking at the big picture, my kids get over 20 combined with grandparents and aunts/uncles. But from Mom and Dad and Santa....20+ seems a little overkill to me. Just my opinion. Some people said they don't buy their kids anything during the year and they save it all for Christmas...I guess I could see the large amount of gifts in that case. I am a pushover and buy things for Rylee all year long, so Christmas isn't really a huge deal. Some people give lots of necessary items, like clothing, as gifts and I can see where that would increase the number of gifts too.
Anyway, back to present wrapping....I'm about all wrapped out after 10 gifts, so I can't imagine having to wrap 20+ just for my own kids. Thank goodness Santa and his elves help me with some of the wrapping! Which reminds me...I don't think all of my gifts from Santa were wrapped growing up. I remember running out to the living room with my brother in the morning and being able to see what Santa brought us. I would think Santa would do the same thing for all kids, but I suppose he likes to keep everyone on their toes :) One would also think Santa would give all kids very small gifts so he has room for them all in his sleigh.....
Anyway -- no matter how many gifts you give or what kind of paper you use....
HAPPY WRAPPING!!
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