Favorite things

Because I've always wanted to, this year I decided all of the gifts I give will be wrapped in brown paper and tied up with strings, among other decorative things!



And they turned out so pretty and festive I couldn't resist sharing my ideas here...


Felt ribbon with some small sleigh bells I picked up at a craft store.



I saved blown Christmas lights in my junk drawer for years, thinking they would be pretty to decorate with, but never really knew what to do with them until this year. Love this!



Again with the felt ribbon, and some festive evergreen, berries and a pine cone from our yard. I secured everything together using a garbage bag tie then covered it with another snip of red ribbon to hide the tie.


Another pretty jingle bell with curling ribbon.


And a last minute addition! I wonder what it could be...


...just a little peek.




Ok, so in my defense, It came yesterday by mail. I was home. It says what it is right on the outside of the box! (smooth, amazon.) So when Chris gets home he pretends he doesn't know what it could possibly be and I'm all Mhmm, right. So about an hour later he just hands me the package.

YOU CANT DO THIS. EVER. not to me anyway. I'm a spoiled little brat who loves presents and can hardly stand waiting to open them.

Before it even registers, I'm opening it. All the while Chris is giving me this look that's a cross between disgust and utter disbelief. Although I know he's just playing. He's no different than I am. Except that I can hold out on the giving, he cannot.
So I mess around with it a while, download a book or two (so I'll have something on it when I open it FOR REAL at mom and dads) and tada, now its wrapped and pretty.

Do I regret spoiling both the pleasure of plucking it out from under the tree Christmas morning and the surprise of opening it to find the only (material) thing I wished for?


Nope, not one bit. :)