Deck the Halls: Orange Garland-ing for Gift-Wrapping year-long

Alternate Title: Of Pampas and Presents. But they are not the ones on trial here.

You may think to yourself, well that's a little late? However, considering our government pretty much cancelled Christmas this year, most of my gifts were still sitting in my closet until yesterday- desperately waiting to be gifted when gatherings and road trips were finally allowed. I finally dropped them off yesterday, over the wait. Although it seems unfathomable at the moment, we will have huge celebrations again. We shall get there and it will be en-joy-a-ble.

Since this weekend was Easter weekend, we thought of organising some kind of Easter brunch where we can exchange Christmas gifts (Eastmas?!). And, as the seasons passed since this article was planned to be posted (quite literally, an entire season later), I thought I would adapt it from orange garlands for Christmas decorating to seasonal giftwrapping.

So here is a fun way to wrap gifts (which to be fair, trade the pine branches for flowers and wheat and you have yourself an Autumn birthday gift look- then switch for bright colours and fresh petunias, a harvesting look- ok you get it: oranges are forever).

Here is a quick step-by-step of how to deck the halls on a budget and turn your condo into the farmhouse of your dreams. Ahh. I'm excited too.

*Excuse my dry, dry pandemic-time hands, they have never recovered from the abusive, incessant disinfecting process*

You will need,

Oranges (I used 5-6, depending on how many garlands or gifts you want to decorate- this quantity was perfect for about 8 gifts, 20 slices or so)

Cooking string (any type you desire, I used brown gardening ropes too depending on the wrapping paper combo!)

A few easy, easy steps

1. Cut oranges in thin slices (do as I say, not as I do- I had to cook them twice as long because they were never quite dry/too juicy!).

2. Place on baking tray and bake in the oven for approximately 3 hours (check on the slices roughly every 20 minutes in the last hour) at 250 degrees F.

3. Poke a hole in the middle of each slice and garland away!