Hand-painted hearts in every color of the box: fuchsia, tangerine, marigold, teal, lilac, cherry red, each one striped or dotted or outlined a little differently, scattered across a soft blush ground. It is the wrap that makes a small gift look considered, and it refuses to be seasonal. Valentine's, an anniversary, a birthday, a baby shower, a "thinking of you" package going in the mail on a Tuesday.

One consumer roll measures a generous 30 inches wide by 5 feet long, enough for several small boxes or one big one, from The Gift Wrap Company, the oldest established gift wrap manufacturer in the United States. Buy the roll for the gift you are wrapping tonight and you will find yourself reaching for the rest of it all year.