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Using stamps, ribbons and pine cones, you can reuse them to make beautiful holiday wrapping paper.

Among the many ways the pandemic has changed lives in the past two years, I remember having a reusable bag for a trip to the grocery store, which was really bad. Before the pandemic, I hired a few memory joggers to make sure I didn't leave empty-handed at the registration desk. Both Rudalevige cars contained piles of bags. "Shopping bags" are at the top of my shopping list, reminding me to return to the parking lot to collect any items before putting them in the shopping cart. I developed a routine of sorting groceries, wiping or washing bags, and then putting them back in the car.

Re-use paper bags for exquisite packaging as your holiday gifts. Photograph by Christine Burns Rudalevige

However, in the early days of the pandemic, when customers were forbidden to bring reusable bags into stores, the months of time made me try to remember that using them was meaningless. During that time, I chose paper bags instead of plastic bags until I started to push the cashed grocery trucks onto my car and then put them in the bags in the trunk. Since the statewide ban on single-use plastic bags came into effect in July, when I forgot to use reusable plastic bags at home, paper is now my only option, which still seems to be every 10 times I go to Hannah Ford's speed happened once. I have a considerable pile of paper bags, which is why I decided that the main color of this year’s holiday packaging is paper bag brown.

A warm cocktail makes the packaging faster. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Yes, my holiday packaging always has an anchor color. I make no secret that I am an excellent packer. At this time of year, among all the happy things around the Christmas tree, on the table and in the air, beautiful packages have a special place in my holiday preparations. The wrapping ceremony is part of all the gifts I give to those I cherish. I usually make it myself in the evening, with bourbon on hand to help stir up nostalgia for past holidays.

It turns out that disassembling the bag is the most difficult task in producing my upgraded holiday wrapping paper. I use a pair of sharp handmade scissors (not my kitchen scissors, because cutting paper will dull them quickly) along the seam from the top of the opening to the bottom of each bag. I cut along the bottom of the bag, around all the edges of the rectangle, releasing the bottom from the side. The bottom is nicely stacked in the kitchen drawer and can be pulled out when I need to drain bacon or other fried foods. Some bags have handles, so I had to separate them carefully, but forcefully, and then pull down the extra strips of paper and glue that held them in place. Removing these makes it easier to fold the paper around the corners. You can iron the paper between the dish towels to make it smooth, but I think the crease is part of the charm of paper. Be sure to use high-quality scotch tape or packing tape to fix the paper bag wrapper around your package, because a small amount of cheap things will not fit.

I am a long-time fan of wired ribbons because it holds the bow very well. When my family and friends opened their gifts, I secretly collected the unfolded ribbons, rolled them up neatly, and then put them away for next year's use. I have ribbons from 15 years ago, and every year when I unfold them for use, I smile and think back to the Christmas morning when the children were young. Some of these ribbons are slightly less worn, but I see frayed edges and frayed glittery patches are pleasing.

As I did in the annual Martha-Stewart-wannabe column last year, when I wrote about making clay dough decorations and gift tags, I used some rubber stamps to make interesting patterns on white paper before wrapping the gifts . I also punched a hole punch on a flat piece of paper, and spread thin paper on it to get a peeking feel. For some packages, I made vertical cuts in the paper and weave ribbons or yarns between them to create colorful criss-cross patterns. Finally, I turned to the hemlocks and pine trees in the backyard to look for cones and twigs, which added a sustainable feel to my packaged gifts.

Well, I am more than just a good packer. I am a super wrapper, maybe an over-edge wrapper. I fully understand that many gift givers hate the packaging part of the holiday. No matter how you feel about this, I hope you have a lot of time during this holiday to do anything that can bring you happiness.

Christine Burns Rudalevige is a food writer, recipe developer, tester and cooking teacher in Brunswick, and the author of Islandport Press’s recipe "Green Plate Special" based on these columns. You can contact her through the following ways: [email protection]

Sip the brown paper airplane cocktail while packing. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Bartenders at Milk & Honey, a famous bar in New York City, developed The Paper Plane. I have removed Aperol and added maple syrup to make it more like a straw from Maine. The other Maine ingredients I use are Liquid Riot Bottling Co.'s Fernet Michaud (a kind of amaro); Split Rock Distilling's single-cask, barrel pure bourbon; and Stonewall Kitchen's Tillen Farms Rainier Reserve Cherries. I buy maple syrup from Combs Family Farm.

1½ oz Amaro 1½ oz Bourbon 1 oz lemon juice 1 teaspoon maple syrup lemon juice and cherry garnish

Mix Amaro, bourbon, lemon juice and maple syrup with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well for 60 seconds. Filtered into the coupe glass. Garnish with lemon twists and cherries.

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