This weekend I plan to spend some time thinking ahead to the busy gift giving season. {most likely writing more lists!} I'm sure some of you are all organized, some even have gifts labeled and wrapped. But that's not me, yet. Of all the times I love giving beautifully wrapped gifts, the holiday season is my very favorite. It's also the busiest time of year at FrenchGardenHouse, so I need to think ahead. Gift giving is meant to be joyous, a celebration of one of the hundreds of reasons we love giving. So why do we give gifts? I think it's to honor the relationships we have, to express how much we love someone, and to remind the people we love that we do. Giving gifts is all about generosity, generosity of the heart. For me not only is the perfect gift fun to find, deciding how to wrap it is all part of the enjoyment. Years ago it was very important to me that all my gifts "matched" and I was very, very serious about colors, and how the presents all looked together under the tree. Thank goodness those years are over, now I sometimes take a leap from the tried and true and experiment during the holidays! It's possible to wrap your gifts beautifully, using bits and pieces that are antique and vintage, and making each a unique creation specifically for the recipient. These photos of wrapped gifts are ideas I created for Romantic Homes magazine quite a few years ago... I love searching out small, thoughtful gifts for my friends and neighbors. It's one the reasons I began my FrenchGardenHouse Holiday Gift Collection! Do you have a few long distance best friends like I do? You know the ones, they moved far away, or you did, but every time you call or see them, you pick up right where you left off? I usually have my "far-away" best friends in mind when creating the FrenchGardenHouse Holiday Collection. Sending a gift to your best friend {sister, mom, cousin, aunt grandmama} is always a kind gesture, it says "I love you and appreciate you!" These French Lavender Sachets are really the perfect gift to send. Not only are they beautiful to look at, they smell heavenly and you will be thought of all year round each time your friend smells it in her room or closet! For some reason, when my friends are in town, we always end up in the kitchen, sharing a glass of wine, a meal, or baking something together. Holiday linens, aprons and oven mitts are high on my list of favorite things to send to them. It's not something they often buy for themselves and they are always excited to receive a new holiday apron and oven mitt, especially with a photo in the pocket of the two of us baking up a storm, and my current favorite holiday cookie or cake recipe! There are so many small inexpensive gifts in our Holiday Collection you can choose from! And...we do our best to make this a package that is beautiful to open. I will personally write a note to your friend or other lucky recipient by hand and enclose it with your gift too, just ask! {I already bought pretty holiday cards and envelopes to write this year's gift messages.} Some of my very favorite ways to gift people we love are in this year's Holiday Gift Collection. The bayberry candles. The beautiful linen towels that they can use in their bathroom, or hang on their farm sink. The hand made lavender sachets. Each and every one a welcoming, personal little gift to say "I love you" to someone special. If you’d like to purchase a gift for someone special {or yourself!} just pop over HERE to order.

à bientôt