When I was a teenager, a few months shy of graduating from high school and going on to pursue my career dreams, I spent as much time as possible at my buddy Sonya’s house. In my eyes she had the perfect family…one boy, one girl, and a mom and dad, the epitome of balance. Both of her parents worked and they had an amazing home. Their house was decorated tastefully with neutral colors and they had a giant piano. Sonya’s mom was a piano instructor and with some persistence, I finally talked my mom into paying for piano lessons for me. This gave me more access to Sonya’s super cool family.
At Christmas time that year, I remember staring in awe at the presents under her tree. Not because there were so many, but because each one was beautifully wrapped. It was their family’s tradition to pay extra special attention to the wrapping of the gift. There were gifts with delicate lace ribbons, handmade wrapping paper from hours of decoupaging, ones that had fancy crystal ornaments attached to them and even one that was tied with a big red satin bow with a snowman Pezz dispenser peeking out. Their holiday tree installation was a masterpiece, something you might see on the cover of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine and I fell in love!
Sonya (long hair) and me (short hair) meeting up for dinner a few years ago.
That’s when I first understood and realized the importance of packaging. Clever, beautiful, thoughtful packaging is what can really make or break a gift, a product, or even a job interview! Thank you to my buddy Sonya (we still are connected with each other thru the magic of Facebook), who gave me access to such an important lesson in life and for the tradition that I borrowed from her family and implement now under my own tree with my daughter!
Some of the gifts under my tree this year.
Some memories are never too old to talk about! I’d love to hear about one of your favorite holiday memories, especially one that you haven’t told in awhile. I would also love to see some of your favorite holiday photos! Send them on over in the comment section or on Facebook!
Wishing you all an abundance of MERRY-NESS AND JOY this holiday season!
-g.