DIY: just say no to a dysfunctional Christmas

Jen from Sales: "That guy in Engineering gave me this bracelet for Christmas... I think it's expensive!"

Lisa, also in Sales: "Give it back; it's a trap."

Jen: "What's not to love about an engineer?"

Gift-giving at the office can be tricky, but sometimes the gift is clearly attached to some intent not in the spirit of Christmas.

Christmas is hands-down my favorite holiday, but it comes with a lot of baggage, much of it added by people who want to celebrate it their own way or who are just being their clueless selves. I'm not going to get into current Christmas controversy, but do offer some viewpoints on aspects of the season that can be problematic.

Personal safety and practical self defense.

Holiday shopping.

***

***

And perhaps most of all, family dysfunction.

***

***

If your family is problematic (and whose isn't?), here's some help: "Rules of Engagement: Dealing With Your Family During the Holidays." And this is an interesting piece about "How Self Love and Boundaries Mix."

Finally, if you've just heard your mother/stepmother/mother-in-law (father/stepfather/father-in-law) use the same phrase for the 23rd time, remember: things could be a lot worse.

***

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images. The Lede.blogs.nytimes

***

-- Marge

DIY: Gift giving--sometimes the magic is in presentation

Pom pom yarn embellishments, Babble

***

Once I bought a Wacom Bamboo tablet and, when I received it, I was amazed and delighted by the way it was packaged. A simple black box opened like a book to a one-layer, parchment-like tissue, folded over just so. Inside the tissue was nested the tablet. The whole package was so elegantly done that I felt I'd received a gift from Wacom.

The gift you're giving doesn't have to be expensive, and if it isn't, the way it's wrapped and presented can make it seem so. (Learning enough about the receiver to know what to give helps.) WikiHow has a good article about how to give a gift unconditionally. Babble gives 18 Creative Ways to Give Cash & Gift Cards (Leading image link is broken, but slideshow works well).

***

In case of emergency, Babble

***

Some tips for wrapping your gift well can be found at these sites. The Container Store offers a PDF for download that gives Tips for Perfect Gift Wrapping. Lushome has some unique presentation ideas that look a bit like a lot of work, but they may trigger some ideas for more manageable projects.

According to an article published at Today,

The Japanese equate wrapping a gift with “wrapping the heart,” so every gift is marked by thoughtfulness and consideration, both for the object housed within the container or wrapping, and for the recipient of the gift. Bringing seemingly start [stark?] contrasts into harmony — like yin and yang — is central to the idea of any presentation. Rusticity and refinement, the transient and the eternal, the earthy and the sublime: such disparities are made evident — and rendered compatible — in choices of combinations of papers and ties that both emphasize and luxuriate differences in texture as well as, perhaps differences in color or pattern. A crinkled paper lashed with knotted cord, for example, reflects that approach.

The video below, posted by Paper Guru, shows how to wrap a gift with kimono pleats, a hand-tied bow, and a heart-shaped note card.

***

***

-- Marge