Friendships, Home Entertaining, Lifestyle
Tips for Wrapping Presents for the Holidays
Isn’t it time to change up your Christmas wrapping skills?
I was always the gift wrapper at my house while growing up. The rest of my family thought it was a big chore, but I loved it. I turned every gift into a work of art. Some of my neighbors even turned to me for help with a “really special” gift.
Even when I was pretty young – like ten years old – my wrapped gifts were real stand-outs. I created themes for every gift I wrapped. Sometimes the theme was based on the individual, sometimes the relationship. Lots of times the theme was set for whatever occasion we were celebrating: birthdays, anniversaries, congratulations – and, oh yes, the holidays.
Back then, when I had nothing else to do but homework and chores, gift wrapping was a great distraction. I dreamed of different ways I could wrap presents. One year, I used aluminum foil and sparkly ribbons. Another year, it was newspaper – the sports page, the daily comics, or the Sunday funnies. One time, my dad had a friend who was a very successful entrepreneur. I used the stock pages from the newspaper with black ribbon (you know, because he was in the “black”?) – and wrapped a birthday present for him. I got a very nice compliment from them both.
I still wrap presents for friends and family. But these days, putting a theme together for gift wrapping is a lot easier. There are so many options now – stores have whole departments dedicated to people like me. Take a look at the options they have at The Container Store. I can browse a catalog like this for hours.
Here are my tips for making your holiday gift wrapping fun, and not such a chore.
First, you need a large clear, flat, hard surface to wrap presents. The floor will work, but be kind to your knees and back. Most important, make sure that whatever surface you have is flat enough and hard enough to make nice sharp creases.
Second, get all your tools and wrapping supplies together. That means having tape, sharp scissors, whatever you decide to use for paper and ribbon all in one place and ready to use. Your “next-level” tools could be double-sided tape (so you can hide the tape edges) and an old but reasonably sharp paring knife. Line up the edges of the paper, fold it where you want to cut, press a hard crease on that fold and slide the knife along the crease – presto – very precise and straight cuts!
Third, snacks for the gift wrapper and an excellent soundtrack. Of course, right? Just be careful to keep your hands clean. Fingerprints aren’t part of the plan!
I keep different papers on hand – for whatever season or occasion. I even hold onto the little scraps that are larger than my hand for the small gifts and keep those wrapped around the paper rolls. But maybe you’re worried about crunching the edges of the paper rolls when you shove them into a closet.
Here’s an easy solution for keeping wrapping paper safe. Buy several shipping tubes that are large enough to store two or three rolls of paper. Make sure that you get the types that have the plastic caps that insert into the tube. Label the tubes and pull them out when you need them (little scraps and all).
But if you want to make the gift even more special, you’ll want to go out and purchase paper that matches a theme you set for the receiver. Buy ribbons to match the theme and color of the wrapping paper. I love satin ribbons for the holidays; in particular, the ribbons with wire edges that make them so much more fun. But who says ribbon only? Try raffia or yarn (or raffia and yarn together).
Some items may need a gift box as well. Here comes The Container Store to the rescue with really easy to use pre-made gift boxes.
Don’t forget tissue (again, in colors to match the theme). And, remember gift labels or cards – you want to be sure that the person receiving your gift knows who to thank. But, sometimes gift bags are just the thing for that weird shaped gift.
My last and best tip – make it fun and make sure you put some joy into each gift you wrap.
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