I have a rule when it comes to holiday gifts in our house. Each gift must have a ribbon and a gift tag.
Sometime around middle school or high school I started to really get into putting a special handmade touch on the gifts I would give for the holidays. I don’t know what triggered it, but I can recall one year spending a ridiculous amount of time on gift wrapping – it involved metallic foil paper and clear plastic ribbon. Another year, I did Xylene transfers onto newsprint and used that as wrapping paper. It looked awesome, smelled terrible. One year when I was living in NYC, I came upon rolls and rolls of grosgrain ribbon in various pastel shades at a dollar store and bought them out. If you’ve ever tied a bow with grosgrain ribbon, you know the magic I speak of.
I’ve definitely thought about why I put so much effort into the wrapping when I know it’s going to get ripped apart in the end. I think it comes down to this: It’s a small investment into making someone feel special, and a way to give love along with the gift itself. It’s about giving that tiny experience that precedes the gift. It’s that sliver of time that contains the excitement a person gets when they see a carefully considered package and they feel special without even knowing what they got.
I’m about to get all woo-woo on you, but I also believe that our energy and intentions transfer into the things we touch. So, if I spend that extra bit of time tying a ribbon and handwriting a gift tag while thinking of the excitement the recipient will feel upon receiving it, I’ve doing more than giving a physical object but also giving love.
Crystal asked me to create a holiday printable that you could use to either decorate our mantel or create a holiday card. Give Love was the first thought that came to my mind.
I hope that you love it and chose to “give love” this holiday season.
Anne Taylor says
This is really beautiful and festive! Thanks!
Victoria Ess says
This is beautiful!
Jackie M says
Thanks for this free holiday printable! I can easily frame this and make the house a little more festive and loving!
kathy downey says
Beautiful printable,i just love how simple it is !