Sacks And Surprises

Day 62: Ecologically-minded friends of mine and I often enclose our gifts in fabric bags tied with cloth ribbons, circulating the sacks among our group in subsequent years or occasionally using one for a recipient outside our "family" in the hopes of encouraging them to do likewise. Although I hate to admit it, I am the worst of the group at remembering I have bags on hand when it comes time to wrap and ship. Perhaps it's because I can't bear to part with the luscious brocades and metallic weaves, exotic and exquisite textiles I've not seen in local stores.

There is something uniquely nostalgic in the untying of a satin bow and delving into the soft interior of a cloth bag. It reminds me of a yesteryear I never knew, of Charles Dickens and trees lit with burning candles. It brings to mind Currier and Ives, and parlor games played in a spirit of warm fellowship, and of closely knit families gathering by the hearth. It adds a touch of mystery and magic which paper fails to convey and curling ribbon cannot approach. Gifts become a tactile experience as well as a visual one, another layer of pleasure for the recipient as well as the giver.