I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but the holidays are right around the corner.  They will be here before you know it, like a snowflake melting on your tongue.

With the colder weather flooding the air and shorter days setting in, it’s never too early to think about Christmas! (Well, that is at least where my heart is at as a devoted Christmas lover myself.)

When we think of the chilly season of winter, our minds often immediately float to Christmas time. Some common examples include shopping, getting matching pajamas, listening to special music, putting up decorations, seeing bright lights, and watching new movies (on Hallmark if you’re like me and know where the plot’s heading but tune in anyway because it’s the “most wonderful time of the year”).  Oh, and you cannot forget about opening presents on Christmas morning.

Waking up on December 25th as a young kid is truly a feeling like no other.  Running into your parents room to wake them up mid dream at 7am, then sprinting down the steps checking if Santa came! It’s a magical feeling and something I would love to experience again if given the opportunity.  However, now that I have gotten older, I have learned something very important. That the significance of creating cherished memories together with the ones you love and showing them how much they mean to you is the true meaning of Christmas.

Growing up in a large family with many cousins, time spent with family is truly what knocks Christmas time out of the park.  It is what makes it such a joyful time of year, in my opinion.  It may be the only time of year that you see some of the more distant people you love, and these times of fun and laughter are what make the holidays so special.  And don’t forget about the good food!  These times will become memories that will last a lifetime.

One way that you can show people you care about them is through the act of gift giving.  

From a very young age, I loved wrapping gifts.  I would help my mom wrap for my family, but, at the time, I didn’t really understand what all of this truly meant.  We are getting gifts for our family because they are getting gifts for us, and that’s just how this works was my thought process at the time.  I just thought we did it because everyone did so we’re “supposed to.” Exchanging gifts is a tradition.  It’s what happens during this time pretty much everywhere around the world where Christmas is celebrated, but why?  Why is this truly done?

Well, after careful thought, in simple terms, it’s to show people we care and love them.  I mean gift giving is one of the love languages, isn’t it?  Families are not required to get each other gifts because that is “how this works”, these gift exchanges signify an “act of love.”

These ideas became the foundation of my small business known as B-Wrapz which was founded in 2019, by yours truly.  It is built on the fact that I love Christmas, wrapping, and helping others. Our slogan is “giftz wrapped with love.”  My role: wrapping other people’s gifts for them.  You may be wondering, “What does ‘love’ have to do with wrapping?”

Well, gift wrapping is more than just about the present itself.  It’s about the thought behind it and the effort put into it.  I’ve come to know that people are beyond busy during the holidays so making their days a little less stressful is the least I can do.  Helping others so that their kids can experience these happy times like I once did on Christmas morning is a job I would never surpass.

Some adjectives that personally cross my mind when it comes to the act of gift wrapping are surprising, exciting, thoughtful, and caring.  And I would say that all of these words have something in common: showing an act of love, and this small gesture is worth a million times more than the present itself.  Happy times spent with family is what Christmas is all about, and gift giving is just that extra touch to show them that they are cared for and loved.

Not only is beautifully wrapping a gift a fun experience, but unwrapping it is how true memories are made and what makes the holidays that much more special!

Brianna Wojnar is a fourth year graphic design student specializing in social media. She has two minors in writing and management marketing. She enjoys watching movies and TV shows, playing miniature golf, bowling, watching and participating in sporting events, playing card and board games, volunteering, gift wrapping, and hanging out with her family and friends.