For the next couple of weeks we will be featuring some of our writer’s advice for the perfect “little” gift since secret week is so soon! Check out our first article below by Florence:
You’ve been in the planning stages since your own Secret Week. You went home for winter break and crafted straight through Christmas. You have a designated Secret Week idea board on Pintrest. You spend an unhealthy amount of time pinning things to it. You are currently little-hunting in all earnestness, and already figuring out whose oven you’re going to commandeer for all the things you want to bake.
Now all the lovingly crafted ‘big-little’ picture frames, painted wine glasses, heaps of jewelry – all the extra paint and balloons and ribbon and so much glitter – are scattered across your floor for your roommates to trip over. But, staring at it, you realize that it all looks suspiciously like what everyone else in the history of forever has gifted to their brand-new littles.
Obviously you want to make the week as special and memorable for your little as possible. If you’re beginning to worry about how exactly you’re going to do that, though, check out some of these ideas for fun, unique and/or meaningful Secret Week gifts:
Custom Fam Gear
Sweatshirts. Bags. Coffee mugs, t-shirts, pajama pants – it could be anything at all as long as it’s something that’s distinctive to your family. Secret Week is as good a time as any to start a new tradition, so take the initiative and work out a custom design for something that you know the girls in your fam would wear/use and love. Plus, it’s a great way to make your little feel special and included from the get-go.
Origami Garlands
For an upgrade on the standard fill-your-little’s-room-with-balloons situation, try your hand at crafting an assortment of origami garlands in your sorority’s colors. Instructions for basic stars, cranes and butterflies are all over the interwebs; just attach some string and you’ve got a gorgeous new gift to surprise your little with. This project is a bit more tedious and time-consuming than most – especially if you’re aiming to completely blanket your little’s ceiling with garlands – but, with the right amount of pleading and cupcake offering, I’m sure you’ll be able to get the rest of your fam to pitch in.
Family Tree Wall Decoration
Ever wondered about all those girls way back in your family tree? Preparing for a new addition is the perfect time to find who they are. Do some digging and see how far back you can trace your fam line – including all of the offshoots. Compile everything onto a cool scrapbooked poster-board to let your little know where she comes from. Just be sure to give it to her after revelation – for obvious reasons.
Mini-Letters
Grab some cardboard (or actual wood if you’re feeling particularly ambitious) and trace/cut out little half-foot-high versions of your sorority’s letters. Then, decorate away! Tip: the more glitter the better.
Big/Little Scrapbook
This is a super cute way to memorialize all of the amazing things that you and your little will do together. Think of it kind of like a photo-bucket-list. Start out with a picture album or, even better, with a blank book and scrapbooking materials. Design each page, remembering to leave open spaces for where the pictures of you and your lil’ will go later. Then, add the captions. They can be as simple as ‘Big/Little Reveal’ and ‘First Fam Movie Night’ or as wonderfully aspiratory as ‘Big ‘n Little Take on Rome’ – whatever the experiences are that you want the two of you to have in the future. Lastly, and most importantly: make sure those pictures get filled in! Even though most of them will be post-Secret-Week, or maybe even beyond your little’s first semester in your sorority, the goals you set in this scrapbook can be a way of ensuring that the two of you will have a lasting and memorable bond.