by Currie Jean

Created on: November 28, 2010

A gift without a topper looks absolutely naked. The gift topper is the finishing touch, the personalization, the promise that the gift inside was chosen with care and love. Still, some toppers (like simple purchased bows) are so common they can look tacky, or at best, make a gift blend in with the others around it. For more variety under the Christmas tree and in the Birthday pile, consider these new gift topper ideas.

Edibles

Purchase small bags of mesh or plastic (or make simple cloth ones yourself), then fill them with edible treats. Invite recipients to indulge their sweet teeth with chocolates and hard candy, or take a healthier route with nuts, dried apricots, dried cranberries, and popcorn. Close each bag with ribbon, and attach it to the gift with ribbon or clear tape.

A single candy cane, large or small, looks yummy adorning the top of a gift. So does a bow made of a few strings of popcorn. To string popcorn, thread a needle and push it through pieces of air-popped, unseasoned popcorn. For color, add dried fruit to the string.

Scented

A few cinnamon sticks or a bag of cloves adds seasonal atmosphere to a pile of gifts, so you could top with those, as well as flowers and pine cones. Fresh flowers have scent, but fake flowers are safer: nearly all Christmas plants (like mistletoe and poinsettias) are poisonous. Keep them away from homes with children and free-roaming pets.

Identification

The to-and-from of the traditional gift tag is effective and clear, but it isn't the only way to tag. Add photos or simple cartoon drawings of the recipient to a tag instead; or, if you'd like to add a puzzle to the gift exchange experience, write a riddle describing the recipient on the tag, rather than simply writing out a name. To really dress up your gift tag, slip it into a miniature picture frame and attach that to the top of the gift.

Ribbon and Paper

Some ways of decorating gifts have been around for years, and can add background pizazz to whatever topper you've already chosen. Add a bow to the top of the gift along with a gift tag (either purchased or made from wrapping paper), then curl some ribbon by holding the flat side of a piece to the blade of your scissors - then pull quickly. You may have to do it a few times to get good ringlets. A few lengths of curled ribbon will fill out the top of a gift impressively.

If you don't have a knack for the curling method, braid several strands of ribbon together, or repeat a macrame knot. Braided and knotted ribbon looks very

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