An Ingenious Way to Wrap Holiday Presents in Seconds

Bogdan Kurylo/iStock via Getty Images
Bogdan Kurylo/iStock via Getty Images

While there’s no better feeling than giving gifts, wrapping them is another matter entirely. Bunched-up paper can collect on the sides, tape can tear the wrap, and awkwardly sized items can defy easy obfuscation. It's no wonder people often turn to professional gift-wrapping services or how-to videos. It's enough to elicit a wealth of very unseasonal expletives.

If you have a lot of presents to wrap, time is also of the essence. Fortunately, there’s a way to make this process nearly automated with a technique that purportedly originated in Japanese department stores.

The video above explains it all: You’ll cut out a square of wrapping paper so each side overlaps the item by two inches vertically and the top and bottom have enough paper coverage. Then you’ll position the gift diagonally in one corner. After flipping up two of the corners, you’ll have an immaculately-wrapped gift that’s tucked into the folded paper like a letter in an envelope.

If you really want to impress family this season with your superior wrapping technique, opt for matte scotch tape—it basically disappears into the paper. And while cheap wrapping paper makes a lot of economic sense—it will, after all, wind up shredded in a corner—it will tear easily during the wrapping process. Try to opt for slightly thicker paper to keep gifts intact until the unwrapping frenzy begins.

[h/t Today]

This Planner Is Perfect for Keeping Track of All Your New Year's Resolutions and Goals

Panda Planner / Amazon
Panda Planner / Amazon

With the fresh start of a new year and a new decade, you probably have some resolutions in mind to make the most out of 2020. To keep all your goals and aspirations organized, there's the Panda Daily Planner ($25), which was named 2019's best overall planner by Business Insider.

The planner is broken up into three sections, allowing you to plan out 90 days, 13 weeks, and six months. To start, the daily sections include a short morning exercise in which you write out three things you are excited and grateful for. Once you complete the exercise, you can utilize the other sections to write in the day's top priorities, schedule, tasks, and general notes. To make sure you end on a positive, there’s an end-of-day exercise to reflect on your “wins,” and what to work on for tomorrow.

The weekly sections ask you to start by reflecting on the previous week’s “big wins” and what you could improve on. After you take the time to reflect, you can fill out the “things I will do to make this week great” section, which is broken up into personal, family/friends, work, and relationships groups. There are also sections to record what you're looking forward to, habits you want to develop, something new you want to learn, and a passion project you want to find time to work on.

The monthly calendars allow you to write in notes for each day, record goals you want to achieve, and distractions you want to avoid. When the month is over, there’s a short section to reflect on what you’ve learned and insights you’ve gained. And because there are no dates, this planner is completely customizable.

When you purchase the planner, you'll also get access to e-books with titles like How to Get Your Sh*t Together in Under 60 Minutes and The Keys to a Happy & Productive Life, as well as a video series on how to utilize the planner to maximize productivity.

While there are definitely apps to help you get organized, there are numerous benefits to writing things down. To start, on paper you can keep everything in one place, which makes your to-do list easy to reference. Whereas you probably have different apps for notes, schedules, etc., meaning you're spending more time scrolling between each one. Not to mention, opening your phone for one thing is often a gateway to finding yourself on social media, which can kill productivity.

Planners are a great way to stay organized, but for some resolutions you’ll need some added inspiration to see them through. From volunteering more to reducing “activation effort,” learn some other scientific ways to achieve your goals this year.

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30 Fun Food Holidays to Celebrate This Year

RuthBlack/iStock via Getty Images
RuthBlack/iStock via Getty Images

Whether your dietary tastes stick to the old standards like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or a liquid diet of absinthe and wine, there's a food and drink holiday for you. Here are 30 of them that you can celebrate in 2020.

1. January 23: National Pie Day

Take today to enjoy a classic apple or pecan, or try something new.

2. January 25: Burns Night

Burns Night, named for Scottish poet Robert Burns, celebrates Scottish culture, literature, and cuisine. Break out the haggis!

3. February 2: National Tater Tot Day

A pile of golden brown tater tots
iStock.com/zkruger

Take National Tater Tot Day to reconsider what might be the finest form of fried potatoes.

4. February 9: National Pizza Day

You already crave it every day, so take February 9 to treat yourself to your favorite slice (and learn some of its history, too).

5. March 5: National Absinthe Day

There's a lot of talk about absinthe's history and the myths therein. Luckily, we've got those covered—and debunked.

6. March 7: National Cereal Day

Cereal first, then milk. Learn your history.

7. March 16: National Corn Dog Day

This March, celebrate with one portable, fried, meaty treat. But first, learn about the anatomy of a corndog.

8. April 2: National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a plate atop a blue and white checked tablecloth
iStock.com/joebelanger

Who doesn't love this classic childhood snack? Eat one today, and then get the answer to something you've wondered since childhood: What's the difference between jelly and jam?

9. April 7: National Beer Day

Be sure to correct your misconceptions about beer before having too many on April 7 (or even the night before on New Beer's Eve).

10. April 19: National Garlic Day

We all know it's supposed to keep a vampire away, but did you know these 11 facts about garlic?

11. May 11: National Eat What You Want Day

Woman picks out a dessert in a bakery
iStock.com/tomazl

Though it's definitely not healthy, this is a food holiday that we want to celebrate more than once a year.

12. May 16: National Mimosa Day

A staple of any brunch menu. Celebrate with a glass ... or four.

13. May 25: National Wine Day

As you're enjoying a glass of cab sav or chardonnay with friends this National Wine Day, drop a few of these wine-related facts into the conversation.

14. June 4: National Cheese Day

There are so many different types of cheese to celebrate. Here's a quick refresher on how two dozen of them got their names.

15. June 5: National Doughnut Day

A woman eating a pink frosted donut
iStock.com/kokouu

One of two National Doughnut Days celebrated every year. Why are there two, you ask? Let us explain.

16. June 21: National Smoothie Day

Put all your favorites together, blend them up, and check out some of the best smoothie art we can find!

17. July 6: National Fried Chicken Day

Not all fried chicken is created equal. Before finding the best in your state, learn about how it used to be made.

18. July 14: National Mac and Cheese Day

Man eating a bowl of macaroni and cheese
iStock.com/KoriKobayashi

You can thank none other than Thomas Jefferson for popularizing this delightful dish.

19. July 19: National Ice Cream Day

Our third president also had a hand in making ice cream a thing—in fact, according to the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia, "he can be credited with the first known recipe [for ice cream] recorded by an American," and it probably stems from his time in France.

20. August 3: National Watermelon Day

They're 92 percent water, and 100 percent delicious—and you can eat the whole thing, which you should definitely do on National Watermelon Day.

21. August 24: National Waffle Day

Would it be a surprise if we told you that Jefferson loved these delicious discs so much he brought back four waffle irons from France? He liked to serve them with (duh) ice cream.

22. September 20: National Queso Day

Not just cheese dip, queso (or chili con queso) is a Tex-Mex dip served with tortilla chips. It has been called "the world's most perfect food," and we can't disagree.

23. September 25: National Lobster Day

Grilling lobsters on the barbecue
iStock.com/Instants

On the day celebrating this brightly colored crustacean, consider these fun facts about the clawed creature.

24. September 29: National Coffee Day

Make the most of this National Coffee Day with some of our favorite coffee hacks.

25. October 14: National Dessert Day

Treat yourself.

26. October 17: National Pasta Day

Young boy eats a plate of spaghetti
iStock.com/pinstock

There are many ways to celebrate National Pasta Day, so why not consider switching out your standard old spaghetti for one of these unique pasta shapes?

27. October 26: National Chicken Fried Steak Day

This delicious dish is a delicacy across the American South, and certainly worth taking a day to celebrate.

28. November 21: National Stuffing Day

If you're worried about celebrating the right food, make sure you know the difference between stuffing and dressing.

29. December 8: National Brownie Day

Whether you prefer the middle piece or an edge piece, celebrate National Brownie Day by learning about its origins.

30. December 30: National Bacon Day

Sizzling hot bacon cooking in a cast iron skillet
iStock.com/VeselovaElena

End every year with a generous helping of the internet's favorite food.

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