As the Holidays approach, excitement builds in our house. In the past, our daughter, Grace, would count down to Christmas, starting September 16th (which happens to be 100 days from Christmas). Now, we countdown to the day she will return home from Bordeaux (33 days!). For me, the joy of the Holiday Season is just that – the entire Holiday Season. I love the decorations, the twinkling lights, but most of all, I love the lunches and dinners that we have with family and friends.

We are lucky because our other daughter (Kate) her husband (Martin) and granddaughter (Marie) live only 6 miles away and often our meals together have an activity…like decorating the Christmas tree. (It is always good to have homemade soup simmering in the kitchen to entice everyone to stay until the last ornament is hung!)

My favorite activity is our wrapping parties when we wrap presents for friends and family–Parke oversees the dinner preparation and the rest of us gather around card tables that have rolls of wrapping paper, tape, scissors and ribbons strewn across them. There is some order: all the gifts are lined up on the sofa, gift boxes sit neatly nearby and wrapped ones are stacked according to the family we are sending them to. There is a small table near the tree covered with gift tags, both old and new that Marie (age 3) loves to sort and organize. Then together, Marie and I select the gift tag for each present.

We have saved many gift tags over the years, but I also enjoy creating new ones every year from the watercolors I’ve painted. For me, the gift tag enhances the wrapping and makes the gift more enticing. We thought it would be fun to share one of my gift tags templates that you can print and use this Holiday Season. Click here for your printable DIY gift tags.