• Cart
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Chronicles
    • The Lovely Archives
    • Family
    • Ina
    • Journals
    • Hurley House
  • Nav Social Icons

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Cart
  • Events
  • Hospitality
    • Cooking
    • Hosting
    • Household Management
    • Celebrate
    • Basics
  • Lovely Living
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Favorites
    • Hobbies
    • Parenting
    • Personal Care
    • Reflections
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer
    • Main Dish
    • Sides
    • Dessert
    • Breakfast
    • Beverage
  • Chronicles
    • The Lovely Archives
    • Family
    • Hurley House
    • Ina
    • Journals
  • Shop
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • Closet
    • Cookbooks
    • Gifts
    • Home
    • Kitchen
    • Library
    • Needlepoint
    • Organization
    • Party
    • Table
  • Learn
  • Blog
  • About
  • Events
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Connect

    Search

  • Hospitality
    • Hosting
    • Household Management
    • Cooking
    • Basics
    • Celebrate
  • Lovely Living
    • Fashion
    • Favorites
    • Hobbies
    • Parenting
    • Beauty
    • Personal Care
    • Reflections
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer
    • Main Dish
    • Sides
    • Dessert
    • Breakfast
    • Beverage
  • Events
  • Learn
  • Shop
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • Closet
    • Cookbooks
    • Gifts
    • Home
    • Kitchen
    • Library
    • Needlepoint
    • Organization
    • Party
    • Table
  • About

Seasonal Wrapping

December 7, 2022 · In: At Home, Celebrate, Hospitality, Lovely Living

A few years ago I set up an official wrapping station in a corner of our breakfast room as a practical solution to a seasonal issue. The station includes a wire waste basket that holds rolls of paper, a basket with scissors, tape, tags, and ribbon, and another basket full of bags and tissue paper. The idea being, when it’s time to wrap a gift, everything is ready and waiting for you, beautifully organized.

A well-stocked, beautifully organized wrapping station has not always been standard practice in our home, which brings me to the point of today’s post.

The point of this post today is not to inspire you to wrap gifts in a certain way, but to encourage you to wrap gifts according to your season of life.

In a world full of inspiration and beautiful images, it can be tempting to shift our values toward a single ideal, thinking we are missing the mark if our wrapping is less than picture-perfect. As a person who loves beauty and finds joy in special details, I will testify that there are seasons where it makes sense for me to fully express this through wrapping, and years where it absolutely does not. The reality of your season of life, the constraints on your time and energy, and the scope of your responsibilities will determine how you choose to do a lot of things, including wrapping gifts.

There are years where random bags and whatever tissue paper you can get your hand on is the right choice. I remember the Christmas I had two children in less than two years, both still in diapers, one barely walking. Bags and tissue for everyone!

There are years when saying yes to your littles’ request for ridiculous character-themed paper is the right choice. I remember the year my kids loved Sesame Street, and the wrapping paper covered with Oscar and Big Bird was a source of joy for them. I promise you will look back on those photos with nostalgic delight.

There are years when choosing one paper and making everything uniform and simple is the right choice. When I started Hurley House, there was no margin for fuss. I bought one paper, one ribbon, and created a sense of beauty under the tree with one unified motif. The order felt calming without any extra work.

And there are years when taking your time, crafting beautifully adorned packages is the right choice. This is where I am now. Having two children in college, two teenagers at home, and margin in my work life affords me time I have never had before, and I enjoy spending some of it making packages pretty.

No two seasons of life are the same, and if there is anything I have learned as I look back on holidays past it is to kindly embrace your current season and confidently make decisions accordingly. No need to apologize for your choices, particularly in the arena of gift wrapping! Likewise, no need to feel burdened to do more than feels enjoyable for you. Maybe detailed wrapping is the last place you would spend extra time if you had it to spare. Hooray! Own your choice and carry on!

As for me, with a variety of seasons in my repertoire, I am enjoying the opportunity to take time with details, but knowing this might shift in coming years. Seasonal wrapping allows us to enjoy the season while honoring our limits.

By: Katherine Sasser · In: At Home, Celebrate, Hospitality, Lovely Living

you’ll also love

Summer Cookbook Club: Week 4
My Favorites: January 2020
Book Report: Making Room

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Next Post >

Party Dress Trick

Primary Sidebar

Search

Featured Posts

Winter Cookbook Club Week 3: Winter Squash Soup

Winter Cookbook Club: Week 2

Winter Cookbook Club: Week One

Latest on Instagram

katherinesasser

katherinesasser


Celebrating is more than the actual event!
Celebrating is more than the actual event!

When we celebrate, sure the event is a big deal. B
When we celebrate, sure the event is a big deal. But what about what happens before and what we remember after? Those matter too!

Dear Winter Storm,

Thank you for…everything. W
Dear Winter Storm,

Thank you for…everything.  We have slept in, watched movies, washed all the sheets, powered through multiple mid-afternoon slumps, and taken the sled out for a few rounds of Please Don’t Break Any Bones. Always a delight. 

You’ve made your point. We see you. Thank you for the ice…it’s really beautiful up close. Maybe a bit too much this time, but what do I know?

Anywho, party’s over. It’s time to go. These kids have got to get back to school and so help me if I don’t interact with other adults soon I am really going to lose my marbles. 

Here’s your purse and keys, one last hug, can’t wait to see you again, have a safe trip home. 

Thanks so much. 
Love you. 
Bye.


Despite having numerous recipes for butternut squa
Despite having numerous recipes for butternut squash soup, I found Smitten Kitchen's Winter Squash Soup delightfully original. ​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
My Week Three review of the Winter Cookbook Club is up on the blog, and if you're cooking along with me, I would love to know what you think!

Super Bowl is around the corner. Are you game-day
Super Bowl is around the corner.  Are you game-day ready?​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
Today on the blog, I am sharing a few of my favorite supplies for hosting a killer Super Bowl party. (Side note:  When did Crock Pots get so cute??)​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
From fancy coolers to festive fans to the most practical paper goods, all the winners are in one place!

I celebrated my birthday with a cocktail party, an
I celebrated my birthday with a cocktail party, and it was one of the best (and easiest) events I have had the pleasure of hosting.​​​​​​​​​
The evening was beautiful, the friends amazing, the drinks incredible, and the secret to all the fun was a twist on traditional hosting rolls.

All the details are on the blog!


Load More...



Follow on Instagram


Browse by Category

Hi, I'm Katherine

Hi, I'm Katherine
hello!

I share lifestyle content through the lens of hospitality. If you are interested in learning about the beauty that creating space can bring, you've come to the right place!

Read More

Connect

Recent Posts

Winter Cookbook Club Week 3: Winter Squash Soup

Game Day Gear

Archives

Follow Along

@katherinesasser

Celebrating is more than the actual event! Celebrating is more than the actual event!
When we celebrate, sure the event is a big deal. B When we celebrate, sure the event is a big deal. But what about what happens before and what we remember after? Those matter too!
Dear Winter Storm, Thank you for…everything. W Dear Winter Storm,

Thank you for…everything.  We have slept in, watched movies, washed all the sheets, powered through multiple mid-afternoon slumps, and taken the sled out for a few rounds of Please Don’t Break Any Bones. Always a delight. 

You’ve made your point. We see you. Thank you for the ice…it’s really beautiful up close. Maybe a bit too much this time, but what do I know?

Anywho, party’s over. It’s time to go. These kids have got to get back to school and so help me if I don’t interact with other adults soon I am really going to lose my marbles. 

Here’s your purse and keys, one last hug, can’t wait to see you again, have a safe trip home. 

Thanks so much. 
Love you. 
Bye.
Despite having numerous recipes for butternut squa Despite having numerous recipes for butternut squash soup, I found Smitten Kitchen's Winter Squash Soup delightfully original. ​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
My Week Three review of the Winter Cookbook Club is up on the blog, and if you're cooking along with me, I would love to know what you think!
Super Bowl is around the corner. Are you game-day Super Bowl is around the corner.  Are you game-day ready?​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
Today on the blog, I am sharing a few of my favorite supplies for hosting a killer Super Bowl party. (Side note:  When did Crock Pots get so cute??)​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
From fancy coolers to festive fans to the most practical paper goods, all the winners are in one place!
I celebrated my birthday with a cocktail party, an I celebrated my birthday with a cocktail party, and it was one of the best (and easiest) events I have had the pleasure of hosting.​​​​​​​​​
The evening was beautiful, the friends amazing, the drinks incredible, and the secret to all the fun was a twist on traditional hosting rolls.

All the details are on the blog!
Let's play a round of Top Three Bar Cart Favorites Let's play a round of Top Three Bar Cart Favorites.  I'll go first.​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
Gray Whale Gin because it's delicious, and I love how the turquoise bottle stands out among the other bottles.  So cute.​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
Empress Gin because it's purple and beautiful and is the gin for people who think they don't like gin.  Trust me.  It's a winner, and makes a wonderful gift.​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
Perrier-Jouet champagne in the small bottle because it's my favorite champagne and reminds me to celebrate often..​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
What's on your bar cart?  What's your favorite bottle and why?  Any cute cocktail accessories I need to know about?
A small shift in your mindset can make all the dif A small shift in your mindset can make all the difference.

Copyright © 2023 ·