It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Christmas is by far my favourite time of the year, and I am by self admission what many would call a "Christmas nerd", but that's ok, I take that tag in my stride!

Christmas is all about giving and I think it's the main reason why I love it so much. Even though I write my gift buying list around November, promising myself that I'm going to try and be "more sensible and not feel the need to give a present to every single person I know", I am yet to succeed at this mission. My list constantly grows, evolves and develops each time I see something that I know would be perfect for a certain person and ultimately, it ends up in my shopping basket.

I'm almost convinced that this gene was passed down from my mother to me and regardless of whether it's a $1,000 gift, a $10 gift or something I've baked at home, the feeling of giving is like a shot of adrenaline. To be honest, sometimes it's disheartening when the other person hasn't considered you at all when you catch up for pre-Christmas dinner or drinks, but I'm glad I enjoy giving more than receiving.

Last weekend, my mother and I gave our time to a very worthwhile cause. Each year, the Salvation Army teams up with a large Australian department store called Myer, and offers a gift wrapping service in store for the month of December. I have tried in the past to work at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen on Christmas eve, but was pleasantly surprised and impressed to hear the operator tell me "there are no more places available for volunteers this year". Nice work Australia!

So instead I decided to give the gift wrapping thing a go. To be honest, I think I've missed my calling. To say that I love wrapping presents would be an understatement. I remember being a young teen and wishing that one day I would be able to work in a fancy store that carefully wrapped each item in tissue paper, placed it in a box and sealed it with a big, beautiful ribbon. I mean, who wants to be a doctor or a actress when you can be a 'professional gift wrapper', right? :)

With that being said, it goes without saying that I absolutely adored the task of wrapping other peoples gifts and it was an experience that I'd definitely volunteer for again next year. I suppose the moral of this post is to encourage anyone who wants to volunteer to find the right kind of way for you. There are so many charities and organisations out there in desperate need of your support, so try not just at Christmas, but throughout the year to help others less fortunate.

In the end, it all comes back to us ten fold.
PS. Sometimes all you need is brown paper and a little creativity...