Christmas Gift Bags

About these figures

Three soft plush figures, sitting up, about the size of a small bag of flour. The zip runs underneath, along the base, and opens into the body of the figure. Sweets, a small gift or a note go in the middle, and the toy itself becomes the wrapping. The part that gets kept is the wrapping, which is not how that usually works out.

The three of them

Santa in red with a knitted look scarf, a snowman in cream and red plaid, and a reindeer with antlers and a tartan scarf. Take one or all three. They are the same pattern underneath, so a row of them sits straight on a shelf, and the three together cover the traditional red, white and brown of a Christmas display. The antlers on the reindeer are wired so they stay up, which is the part that usually flops on a soft toy.

The compartment

A curved zip runs along the bottom of each figure. Unzip it, lift the soft flap, and there is a cavity running up into the body. It goes deeper than the outside suggests, which is the part most people remark on when it arrives. The zip sits on the underside, so nothing shows through the figure from the front. Sweets go in loose or in a small bag; either way the figure closes over them and sits normally.

The finish

Fur trim at the cuffs and the hat, stitching across the chest, and a small clear heart window with beads behind it on the front. The plush is dense enough that it does not flatten after a season in a box, which is what usually happens to soft decorations stored under a bed from January to November. The heart window is the one detail that stops a row of three looking like three soft toys in a line.

What they are for

Wrapping, mostly. Instead of paper round a box, the gift goes inside and the figure is handed over as it is. In January it goes on a shelf, and the following December it comes out again with something new inside. Children work out where the zip is on about the second Christmas.

Specifications

Type	Plush character with hidden storage
Designs	Santa Claus, Snowman, Reindeer
Filling	Sweets, notes or small gifts, not included
Sold as	A single figure or a set of three

How people use them

1. As wrapping

   Put the real present inside and hand over the figure.

2. On a shelf

   They sit up on their own and stay looking tidy.

3. By the fireplace

   Set out three with something different in each.

4. Next December

   Store them flat and they come back out as decorations.

In the box

• 1 x plush character with base compartment, or a set of three

Care

Surface clean with a damp cloth and mild soap, then air dry. Do not put it through a washing machine. The zip and the plush will not survive a wash cycle, and the figure will not sit up afterwards even if it does.

Common questions