I am a multitasker to my core. I like flitting from one thing to the next, but I also seem to work at my best when I’m juggling a few things.  As a part of being a multitasker, I’m always looking for ways to make the things I have and do work in more ways than just one.  It’s helpful in business when one piece of furniture can be blog content, a social media post, a YouTube tutorial, an avenue to promote products, and eventually a product to sell.  It’s helpful in decorating when one piece can be beautiful, and functional, and will look just as good in the dining room as it did in the living room.  And, of course, this carries over into Christmas and seasonal decorating.

I don’t want to have too many things beyond a couple of trees that are Christmas-specific.  I want ribbons I can use year-round, wreaths that still make sense in February, and decor that speaks to my beloved blue and green color palette as well as the natural world.  I want elements that feel like Christmas in the way they are combined.

There have been many lean Christmases when decorating meant going on a scavenger hunt in the yard for pinecones and fresh evergreens I can trim off our trees and bring inside.  In those lean times, I also used cereal, macaroni & cheese, and diaper boxes as gift boxes.  I picked papers and ribbons that worked with my aesthetic and those wrapped gifts became a part of our Christmas decorations.

As I was wrapping presents yesterday (I’m trying to stay ahead on the present-wrapping this year), I remembered when I used to stack gifts on a table to decorate.  Since I wasn’t in a mad dash to get presents wrapped on Christmas Eve, I took my time to coordinate tags, ribbons, and paper and decided these should be on display as decor.

They really are too pretty to only get one snapshot on Christmas morning.  We’re past the stage of impatient toddlers ripping into the packages before December 25, so I decided to bring them out and stack them under the tree instead of hiding them in the basement or guest room.

Of course, if you do have curious kitties, dogs who will eat your presents, or kids who simply can’t wait, you can always stack them on top of a shelf, wardrobe, or buffet.  You could also just wrap empty boxes, a trick I’ve used many times for styling, photo shoots, or adding some inexpensive decor to a spot that needed it.

I even had a stack of fake gifts photographed for Better Homes & Gardens years ago, so you could say presents are magazine-worthy decor.  While that might be true, I like it because it appeals to my multitasking nature.  I’m wrapping presents and decorating at the same time.

Most of the wrapping paper and tags are from JSH Home Essentials.  Two of the prints are my designs available on Society6 HERE.  The ribbon is vintage or from the non-holiday ribbon section at Hobby Lobby.