I've Always Folded the Wrapping Paper
The joy of organizing Christmas odds and ends
Picture this: a nine-year-old version of me has just finished the joyful task of opening presents on Christmas morning. It’s time to play with one of the new toys, or go eat some cinnamon rolls, or just lay down on the couch, right? Wrong! It’s time to organize all these new items, to gather up all the loose ribbons, and fold up the salvageable pieces of wrapping paper for use next year.
There are probably two types of people in the world, people who save wrapping paper and those who don’t and I bet you know exactly what type you are.
My personality has remained remarkably consistent in that I love not only the gifts on Christmas, but then the cataloguing, sorting, and organizing of all the new things. I find almost nothing more satisfying than this. I am, at heart, a collector. I was reminded of this as I got out my box full of wrapping paper this year and not only found wrapping paper to reuse, but a number of gift tags already pre-filled out, ends of ribbons, and what I can only describe as miscellany. This box made my heart so very happy.
Collecting, salvaging, and recreating brings me joy. It’s not just the Christmas ephemera, but my whole life. My weeks are made of salvaged ends of jobs, days that have a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, and all of it together makes something lovely.
I keep a weekly paper planner/calendar and it’s always humbling to look back over the year and see what my weeks actually looked like. Often I used different colored pens to denote each job and personal activities. Each week is a rainbow. I truly love that.
(You might not have time this week, but maybe before the end of the year take a look at wherever you plan and keep note of what you’ve done. I’m curious what you find!)
This has been part of the joy of creating this newsletter and sharing with you all this year. It has given me the opportunity to take the disparate parts of my life and bring them together in one, organized place. It might not show you how messy my day to day really can get. Yet I’m appreciative that these months have given me just what I was looking for—a place to bring all these different parts of myself, fold them up neatly, and share with the world.
In the spirit of all things odds and ends, there is a true mishmash of things below. Check out my Christmas playlist, or a recent piano arrangement of mine, or even do some Christmas shopping by gifting a subscription of this newsletter to a friend.
Congratulations!
Our book giveaway winners are…Kate and Muriel! Keep an eye on your mailbox for your book of choice to arrive, just in time for some cozy winter reading.
In the not-so-bleak midwinter (arr. by me)
My Christmas playlist
What life looks like
Christmas cactus bloom at my church
End of year sale
Take advantage of some specials here at the end of the year. A full year’s subscription to My Other Job is $40 from now until December 30th. If you want the sale price for a gift subscription, be sure to click through the first link and look for more options. If you are clergy, this might be a good way to use up some end of year education funds! I promise to continue providing thoughtful, expansive insights about how to show up fully as yourself.
One more note
I’ll be taking a Christmas break over the next week or so, but then will be back with more weekly posts as well as monthly deep dives for paid subscribers. On the horizon for the new year there will be talk about budgeting, interviews with folks doing multiple interesting things, and more music. Thanks for reading along.