There are only a few days until Christmas and I’m finally wrapping the first gifts to place under our tree! Thankfully most have been purchased (thank you Amazon), but sitting in a closet waiting on my work deadlines to be completed before they could be wrapped. I’m SO behind, but better late than never!
I love everything organically scented. My favorite candles and men’s colognes are the ones that smell like nature. So, why not create packages that also smell fragrant? And you don’t have to wait until Christmas! You can wrap birthday, thank you, wedding, baby and house warming gifts this way all year long. Here’s a quick and easy tip on how to do it. And, please excuse the iphone images. It’s all I had time for before packing and heading out of town for the holidays.
The key is to purchase simple wrapping paper and ribbon. You don’t want the gifts looking too busy. I purchased simple and inexpensive kraft wrapping paper and baker’s twine from Michaels craft store. You can also purchase an array of baker’s twine colors for year ’round gift giving from Etsy. I’m usually not a Christmas red and green kinda girl, but this year, I chose just a touch of red in my baker’s twine since the rest of my house was decorated in all white and greenery. Next year I think I will choose the white baker’s twine just to change it up a little.
Once you have your gifts wrapped, walk out to your yard and clip greenery sprigs such as rosemary, head to the nearest nursery to purchase a small plant, or go to a florist, online resource or Whole Foods for some seeded eucalyptus. Anything that looks pretty and smells fragrant (and also dries well) will be perfect. Keep in mind that it will need to to be used on all sizes of presents, and cut accordingly.
A few years ago, my Mom and I heard a lecture at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, by Jason Powell, owner of Petals from the Past, about planting fragrant flowers and shrubs near entrances and exits of your home, to give your guests a scented welcome. So, last spring, when we’d only been in our home for a few months, I planted rosemary near my back porch, where we entertain, for fragrance and to use for cooking. For my Christmas packages this year, I clipped several sprigs since it was handy. It’s also a good idea to make sure they are clean and dry, by blotting them with a paper towel, before you place each one on your packages.
Here’s the simple, easy and inexpensive package I’ll be giving to friends and family this year. I chose a more casual look, but you can also do a formal version of this idea by using solid white paper (also available for purchase from Michaels) and gold or silver ribbon. I hope this post gave you a little bit of inspiration for your own unique gift giving and that your holidays are just perfect, surrounded by the people you love, sharing lots of memories. laughter and good food! Merry Happy Christmas!
XO,
Heather
