Christmas: How do you Wrap Yours?

Christmas... I love it! No seriously, I mean a bloody adore it! It's completely and utterly amazing... okay raining in the enthusiasm but you see what I mean. By far my favourite time of year, I get completely swept away in the whole holiday; Buying a Christmas Tree, Decorations, Carols, Christmas Shopping, Santa Claus (completely and utterly exists..."Katie & Alyssa BELIEVE) buying way too many gifts and hunting to the ends of the earth to find that special present for every person that I love. This year, even though I didn't think it could, will be ten millions times better as this is Alyssa's first Christmas and whilst she will be too young to fully appreciate the magic of Christmas, I can't wait to see her face when she sees all the magical fairy lights that will adorn my house (I mean more fairy lights that usual!)

One big step for me, once I have landed from being swept away by the Christmas Shopping Fairy, is the wrapping! It's probably the busy-body OCD organiser in me, but I absolutely adore wrapping!! First things first, I have to pick a colour scheme! I find out what wrapping paper others in the family have (which is often difficult when starting in October so I ban them all from using my colours), and if we are continuing on with the same Christmas tree colour scheme as previous years or if we will be changing. This year I have gone with a set of 3 colours; White, Tiffany Blue and Silver. For Alyssa and Rowan (my 9 year old gorgeous Prince of a nephew) I have variants of blue princess/superhero wrapping.

To accompany the wrapping paper, I of course choose matching gift tags along with bows, ribbon, glitter sequins, gift bags in the same colour scheme along with tissue paper (for some variety and often that extra special gift) and this year a few jingle bells to put on the odd present. Now, usually I go shopping, come home and sit down and immediately wrap all the presents just purchased, making a list of what I have for who and then repeat if I need to do more. However, a certain little munchkin (who shall remain nameless) somewhat prevents me from sitting for hours on end doing this, so I am having to do it gradually in stages. She sits and "helps" me by chewing her fists, gurgling at me and attempting to sing along as I try to teach her varying Christmas carols which she also finds rather amusing given the random outbursts of the cutest laugh ever.

Now not every present gets the same decoration, I vary them; some will simply have a bow or a ribbon, some will have both; Gift bags may just simply be sealed or could contain tissue paper and oodles of sequin stars... the possibilities are endless. Now, this all may seem a little strange, but to me the look of the present on the outside is just as important as what I have put on the inside as for the briefest of moments when you hand the gift over to your loved one, their eyes land on the present and light up with wonder at what could be inside. Ten seconds later, all your hard work has disappeared under a mountain of torn paper and broken ribbons, but that brief moment is one of my silly, but most treasured ones, at Christmas.

So, how do you wrap yours?