How to Wrap Gifts and Write Cards Without Going Insane

[jeng1980]

I thought this would be another helpful one especially for this time of year.  Vote popular if it proves helpful to you please.

How to Wrap Gifts and Write Cards Without Going Insane

What parts of December do you secretly (or loudly) complain about? For many people, it’s having to wrap up presents and write endless Christmas cards. These can feel like just another extra hassle in a busy month and many of us put both off until the last minute – ending up feeling rushed and harried, and often paying more for rush delivery.

Here’s how to get all your gifts wrapped and all your cards written without being driven mad:

• Make it a Family Event
  If you’ve got a partner and/or kids, set aside a weekend afternoon to write cards and wrap presents together. Depending on how many people you can rope in (and how old they are), you might get one team to wrap and label presents whilst another team does the cards.
  
  Some good ways to work this are:
  
  • One person writes the cards, another addresses the envelopes
    
  • One person wraps, another writes gift tags
    
  • Young children are given tasks like sticking stamps on envelopes, and cutting pieces of tape (with safety scissors)
  
  Put some Christmas music on in the background and get into the Christmas spirit – this can turn card-writing and present-wrapping from a chore into a fun family afternoon that gets everyone excited about the holidays.
  


• Get Organized Well Ahead
  Many activities which are perfectly pleasant when done ahead of time become stressful if you feel rushed. Being organized ahead of time means making sure you have up-to-date addresses for contacts you want to send cards to (emailing round old school friends, or checking details on Facebook or LinkedIn might be a good idea).
  
  It also means making sure you have all the appropriate supplies for wrapping up gifts:
  
  • Wrapping paper
    
  • Gift bags for awkwardly shaped presents
    
  • Sticky tape
    
  • Labels or gift tags
    
  • Jiffy bags or padded envelopes if you’ll be mailing any gifts
    
  • Bubble wrap to protect delicate items
    
  
  Optional items you might want to buy include:
  
  • Metallic pens
    
  • Ribbons
    
  • Tissue paper
    
  
  When it comes to cards, you’ll need:
  
  • The cards themselves
    
  • Envelopes (shop-bought cards come with them, but if you make your own cards, you may need to buy envelopes separately)
    
  • Stamps
    
  
  It really is worth doing cards early, before you get busy with the more immediate preparations for Christmas day. I find that a good guideline is to start writing and sending cards as soon as I receive my first card of the season!
  


• Don’t Be a Perfectionist
  Of course it’s lovely to wrap gifts beautifully, to display everything in baskets or gift bags, and to hand-make all your cards … but if this is making your stress levels soar, try lowering your standards a bit.
  
  Let your kids do some wrapping up – and don’t worry if the results are a bit lumpy, or if they use half a roll of tape on each gift. Feel free to just write “Merry Christmas” in each card instead of a long message – or alternatively, print dozens of copies of a mass letter to update everyone on what you’ve been doing during 2008.
  
  Another form of perfectionism is feeling obliged to reciprocate every gift or card with one of your own. People send cards and presents for the joy of giving, not because they expect something back, so don’t worry if you receive a card or a gift without having one to hand over in return. If you do feel stressed about this, why not keep a few blank cards with you (perhaps in your desk drawer at work, or in your purse or briefcase) and have some generic gifts, like nice boxes of chocolates, stashed somewhere safe? Then, you’ll never be caught out.

How do you survive wrapping your presents and writing your Christmas cards? Is it a fun part of your holiday preparations, or yet another December chore?

Written on 12/16/2008 by Ali Hale. Ali runs Alpha Student, a blog packed with academic, financial and practical tips to help students get the most out of their time at university.