To Bag or Not to Bag?

Gift-bagging is the easy, error-free alternative to wrapping. There's no tape involved, no paper, no boxes...just a bag and a gift - and possibly some tissue paper. You don't have to worry about the 2 year old trying to steal the scissors, or getting tape stuck in her hair. And there's no ribbon for the cat to inevitably eat. You just open the bag, toss in the gift, and then neatly arrange some tissue paper so that it doesn't look like it's been sitting in your gift-wrapping bin since last Christmas. Easy as pie, right? Mmmm, pie - no wait, wrong blog! Sorry. Back to the topic at hand....this weekend, I learned there's more to it than just a bag and a gift...and some tissue paper. There are three key rules to successful gift-bagging.

1. Don't buy a cheap bag. I'm the queen of thrifty, but there's a huge difference between inexpensive and cheap. Remember that!

2. Make sure the bag is big enough for the gift you're trying to cram in it. Once again, cheap isn't a good idea.

3. And finally, make sure that the gift you're bagging, isn't too heavy for the bag. This is the ultimate reason not to go cheap. Picture it - the gift is in the bag, the tissue paper is primped, everything looks great. You pick it up, and as you're walking out the door, the handles snap, the top of the bag rips, the entire package hits the ground, and now your tissue paper has crumpled, and the gift has toppled on to the floor. And now you're back at square one. Fail.

Keep these rules in mind as the Holidays are upon us, and we will soon find ourselves asking the age-old question - to bag or not to bag?