The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings!

It's easy to get stressed this time of year with so much going on: making travel plans or preparing your home for out-of-town guests, taking final exams or meeting work deadlines, buying gifts, decorating, being forced into enclosed spaces with your family. It's a lot to handle. One thing that has never stressed me out, though, is wrapping presents.

I was always the designated gift-wrapper in my family from the time I was a little girl, I guess because I was deemed the "artistic one," or maybe just because no one else wanted the job. I have many memories of sitting on the floor in front of the TV surrounded by piles of boxes, ribbons, and bows. I even wrapped my own presents; how sad is that? My mom would just say, "Wrap this, but don't look inside it." So tragic.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a few of the things I've been wrapping lately. I've already told everyone likely to be getting a present from me not to read my blog for the next couple of weeks, so I shouldn't be ruining any surprises.

How cute are these baby socks? The socks and onesies I bought came in packs of three, which is really convenient because they're going to triplets(!), my boyfriend's nieces. The blue monkey is going to one of my baby nephews; I got two this year!

Lots of stuff from Etsy: handmade soaps from Ranchman's Soapery (I've never tried them before; I have bought soaps from Sweet Petula for my mom in the past, though, and she loved them); a vintage Swedish Dala horse from Dipper Vintage; a print from Nan Lawson;

a 2012 Paris calendar from Alicia Bock;

and an Instant Comfort Pocket Box from Kim's Little Monsters. Packages full of awesome Etsy stuff keep arriving every day; it's actually fun to get the mail right now.

And I made a photo album for my brother full of pics I snapped of his family last Christmas. I think he's going to love it. If anyone's curious, I used Blurb, and I think it turned out pretty well.

The book itself looks better in real life; my camera was doing weird things the day I tried to take photos.

I know that Christmas is about more than presents (I've seen How the Grinch Stole Christmas! many times, thank you very much), but buying a gift for someone that you know is perfectly "them" is the best feeling, don't you think?