Bag Toppers aren't new, most of you have probably been doing them for a long time, but it’s so handy and quick and easy to use. 

            This gift is for a neighbor who has given us some of his field bean seed for our garden.  He’s done this several times and I haven’t known how to thank him appropriately.  I mentioned once that I needed to send a thank you because the seed grows such good beans and his wife said, “Don’t bother, he already knows.” 

            I said, “But I really appreciate it and they’re the best green beans.”

            She said, “He already knows that and if you didn’t think so he’d argue with you ‘til you did!  I promise, he knows you appreciate it, don’t bother.”

            I have still felt kind of silly receiving seed from him for nothing but a verbal thank you.  However, to pay him would have been an insult because the seed probably costs him less than 25 cents, but to bake him something wouldn't work either because his wife is a fantastic cook.  I mentioned the dilemma to his son, one of my students, the other day and he said, “Fireballs.  He loves Atomic Fireballs.” 

            Yesterday I picked up a pound of atomic fireballs and added a s-i-m-p-l-e bag topper—a piece of paper with “thank you” stamped on it.  I stapled it to the top of the bag and added a red jute bow.  Simple. Easy. Affordable.

             I usually use cellophane bags that are found in the party section (next to the crepe paper) at Wal-Mart; however, baggies work fine, too.   Simply make a tag and decorate it and then fold it over the top of the bag of goodies and staple it in place.  Tra-la, you have a gift.  I like bag toppers because no matter how small or insignificant the contents, it looks like a gift.  Likewise, to open a dollar’s worth of fireballs wrapped in a box would have been a big disappointment, but a bag topper embellishes the contents without building your hopes too much.