I have a gift wrapping tip.

I buy one or two nice things and a lot of small gifts for everyone so they have a lot to unwrap. Often the one and two dollar things are the most loved of all. The shopping would kill me except that I do it all year.

Anyway, my tree is decorated in snow and irredescents like an ice tree. I wrap everything in white. I use butcher paper that I get at the school supply store for the larger things and tissue paper for the smaller things that I sort of wad wrap and throw into one of those white bags from the hobby store which I reuse year aftr year. I don't use bows or ribbons. Instead I write everyone's name real big on their gifts and sacks in glitter glue. I usually add a little of the very sparkly fine glitter from the hobby shop to the names and that's it.

The sparkling gifts look fabulous under the sparkly tree and when everyone comes in, they all start speculating and teasing about the gifts and it adds to the fun. (Nice for us older santas who can't read the small print on gift tags too.)

We've already had Christmas here. Huge dinner for husband's family and mine and all our kids and grandkids Sunday. After dinner Santa me and Santa him distributed the gifts and everyone opened with the youngest opening first beginning with my daughter's unborn and my husband's son's six month old and ending with our parents then us. It was a blast. And everyone is so excited to come in and see their names sparkling under the tree.

We're still cleaning up the debri and will go to church together on Christmas Eve and to visit our parents for a while Christmas Day, but other than that we're resting. Our first Christmas together will be just for us.

Peace.

smile