While thinking about the recipient's face,
I choose the present or wrapping
I have a present wrapped by a pro
When my friends have children, I often give them something made out of organic cotton. I think a baby should wear something kind to its skin. I usually give things that can be used, even if the baby gets a little big, like a poncho or sleeping bag. My friends are happy and say "I wanted something like this!".
Most of the time, I shop at the department store, so I have the professional at the store wrap it for me. But, I can choose the design of the wrapping paper, and the color of the ribbon. If the baby is a boy, I choose a blue color, if it's a girl, I choose a pink and I also think about my friend's tastes as well when I choose.
Doing something myself when I make something
I like to make sweets, so I make them for various occasions. For example, if there's a party, I'm visiting a friend's house, or I want to give a small thank-you gift.
When I buy something at a store, they can wrap it up for me, but when I make something myself, the store staff can't do that. In my house, I have many items of different sizes in my home, like cute cups and small plastic bags. I can buy wrapping goods at the supermarket near my house, so it's very useful.
With a cute wrapping, the sweets look even more delicious. So my friends will be surprised and ask "Did you buy that at a store?"
When giving money, I put it in a small envelope
It's not about a present, but about wrapping money. When I'm at a goods store, if I see a small pouch, I buy it. When giving back money I borrowed back to a friend, I use them. I feel that it's more polite to give the money back in an envelope than to just give it as is. I choose a design that my friend would like.
If I think about it, long ago, when giving pictures, I also used these small envelopes. But, recently, since we take pictures with digital cameras now and them via email more and more, picture envelopes aren't used.
Speaking of, when you give back money and don’t have an envelope, you say "Sorry that it's naked", so I thought it was natural that it's like putting clothes on the money.
I see. That's true.
Souvenir wrapping for the family is simple
When I went to Kyoto to visit, I found a beautiful "fukin" (cloth). I thought my mother would like it, so I bought it. When you buy something at a department store or a regular store, the staff will ask you "Is this a present?" If you answer "Yes.", the staff will wrap it up for you in a beautiful paper and attach a ribbon.
But, because this was for my mother, I said "It's for me". It's because I think for the environment, we should try to reduce waste. So, the staff put it in a clear plastic bag for me. The "fukin"'s design was very beautiful, so this was probably better. My mother was very happy, but she still hasn't used it... Because it's beautiful, she wants to start using it on a special day.
Madeleine
In Japan, it is easy and cheap to buy various kinds of wrapping goods. But, I'm not very good at wrapping, so when I buy something at a store, I often use the store's wrapping service. They can do it for free or for a very cheap price. But, sometimes, I like to challenge wrapping myself!