Did you watch “The Sound of Music” last Thursday night? I did, with the girls. They were surprised I knew all the words to every song. E asked me “what if you remember all of your favorite things, and you still are sad?” Good question. I’m not sure yet.
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Tonight I ran some errands and now I’m doing some work on the computer – wrapping up loose ends for the upcoming holidays. When I said that things would be different, I meant it. The house doesn’t smell like gingerbread, although it does smell a little like dinner, which was warm and delicious and filling. It’s quiet – no ice cream makers whirring or holiday tunes playing. We have trees – the two small ones in the girls’ rooms, and the real one in the living room – but they are quiet as well – undecorated, except for little white lights. I kind of like them that way. They feel calm and tranquil, unhurried and unpressured. I have made a little progress on my holiday cards, but not a lot. I’m still not sure if I will finish them, but I tell myself each evening that it’s okay, and I think I’m listening. I’m listening for a lot of things.
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My go-to gift wrapping is a line to a song that once sung, continues to ring through my head on a continuous loop. I’ll share it with you now so that you can join in on the fun.
…brown paper packages, tied up with string. These are a few of my fav-o-rite things.
I wrapped up an early gift this way, and it looked simple and sweet, but also a little boring. My goodness, I’m hard to please these days. I shun any extra holiday shine, and then lament the fact that everything around me feels dull and gray. I’m a complete and utter mess.
I saw a nifty gift tag idea on Design*Sponge, and it seemed like maybe I might put forth a bit more effort than just the same tired twine. Our packages travel, and end up getting packed tightly into small spaces. Flat and simple is good. This idea seemed like a sweet one, and flat enough – no amount of squishing was going to affect the final look.
The problem was, I couldn’t find any evergreen looking pipe cleaners. I tried the usual suspects like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby, but if there are worse places to visit (especially at this time of the year), I can’t imagine. And then, wonder of wonders – I ran into The Container Store to return something that M had purchased, and right in front of my eyes were these wired garland ties. I think they are supposed to be evergreen looking twist ties to affix all your holiday stuff, but they were perfect for this project. I picked up the ribbon there, as well as some candy cane striped tissue paper and a few simple oversized bags for some odd shaped gifts. Container Store for the win – always. Clean, organized, helpful and spot on. So if your brown paper packages are looking a little stale this year, here’s an easy way to spiff them up. They certainly brightened up my afternoon outlook a tad, as well as a corner of my living room.
These are beautiful!
Thanks Liz.
Those packages are super cute. Will have to borrow that idea next year for the packages we ship.
In answer to E’s question… I think maybe the answer is that after we lose someone we love, we stop feeling happy OR sad and we start feeling happy AND sad. So sometimes you remember all your favorite things and you’re still sad, but remembering them helps you to think about reasons to feel happy too.
Maybe that’s just it. I haven’t yet found away to sit comfortably in both camps – they still feel like opposite sides of the swing. Perhaps the undecorated tree in the corner feels right because it seems to straddle that chasm.
So pretty! We stamped names on our brown paper wrapped packages to dress them up a bit and keep them flat for mailing.
Do what your soul can take and what gives you peace. That’s all that should be asked of any of us.
I bookmarked those too – such a cute idea! Although I like how yours turned out better 🙂 thanks for the tip about wreath ties
– Kerri
adorable. I’m going for no wrap this year — mainly due to laziness, but also the environment. (and yes to white lights on trees!)
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