Young Entrepreneur 'Noel' Offers Holiday Gift-Wrapping Services To Neighbors, Friends
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Young entrepreneur Noel Melis is making this holiday season a little brighter by offering her gift wrapping skills to friends and neighbors.
"She loves wrapping gifts," said Tiana Melis, Noel's mother. "She's been wrapping gifts since she was about four."
The Christmas-loving 11-year-old's parents could not have picked a better name for their daughter.
After an interview with WJZ, Noel looked at the photographer and closed her interview by saying, "I want to say Merry Christmas, to everyone!"
This Christmas, Noel took a task many find tedious and sprinkled in her own Christmas cheer.
"I was wrapping a bunch of presents for my family and when I finished I asked 'when can I wrap my presents?' and they said 'that's it, that's all of them,'" Noel said.
Noel's responded by offering her services to neighbors and friends.
"I just put a post on Next-Door like 'hey does anyone want gifts wrapped for $.50? I have this little Christmas elf here that loves wrapping gifts,'" Tiana said.
The response was overwhelming, with Noel wrapping at least 200 gifts. She plans to be busy right up until Christmas Eve night before her family goes out of town for the holiday.
Instead of pocketing the profits, Noel used the money to buy her three brothers and two sisters Christmas gifts.
She has a plan for the remainder of the funds.
"I'm going to use the rest of the money to fill shoeboxes for an organization called Operation Christmas Child," Noel said.
The business venture proved to be so successful and fun for Noel that she plans to make it an annual tradition.
"I'm really proud of her," Tiana Melis said. "She's a hard worker and she's been working really hard the last week or two doing this and I'm really proud of her."
