How to Wrap Holiday Gifts Like a Pro
When your holiday shopping experience is finished, thinking about wrapping the gifts can be a touch daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Wrapping gifts is a way to ease into the holiday by putting some special finishing touches on gifts for your loved ones. These gift-wrapping tips and ideas can help you showcase the gifts you’ve chosen, so when you’re done, the wrapping looks as good as the holiday gifts you tuck into your wrapped packages.
Special Paper for Special Gifts
We think choosing great wrapping paper is a key detail when planning a gift-wrapping strategy. The colors or theme on the paper should match your holiday décor theme or the personality of the recipient. For example, if you’re doing your tree and decorations in royal blue, consider a paper that’s royal blue and silver. If your child loves anything pink, grab that roll of pink wrapping paper for wrapping gifts. Or, pick an animated character-themed paper for the family member who goes wild for anime. Consider using the comic pages to wrap a special gift for the person who loves the Sunday funnies.
Unusually Shaped Gifts? No Problem!
Paper quality is important, too. You might not want to spend the money to wrap every gift in the highest quality paper you can find. However, you can really make those special gifts stand out with a thicker, more luxurious paper. Additionally, if you’re preparing a gift that’s an unusual shape or size, such as bean bags for kids, thicker paper can also make it easier to smooth out the lines of the packages.
Box or No Box?
It can be tempting to wrap a gift without boxing it first for a lot of reasons, such as being low on paper or wanting to create an unusual shape. Although, using a box gives you a nice base for gift wrapping. It makes it easier to get smooth lines, and you may find it easier to attach decorations and gift tags to the flat surfaces the box creates. If you’re trying to save paper, choose the smallest box that fits your gift. If you want to keep the recipients guessing about what’s inside, choose a box that’s hefty or oddly shaped to wrap.
Small Gift Wrappings That Make a Big Impact
Stocking stuffers can be a lot of fun for kids of all ages, and wrapping them can be satisfying, too. To stretch out the excitement of opening gifts, wrap stocking stuffers in colorful paper with the same type of adornments you put on larger gifts. Then go a step farther and tuck the small gifts into personalized Christmas stockings for each person to enjoy.
Oversized Gifts to Wrap?
One fun way to wrap oversized gifts, such as monogrammed bedding sets, is by using Furoshiki wrapping techniques with fabric scraps or even yardage from a bolt of fabric. You can choose the colors and themes you want, and the recipient can use the fabric for crafting or a sewing project after opening the gift. The texture of the fabric can also add a bit of extra visual appeal to the collection of gifts under the tree.
Don’t Spare the Adornments
Gift wrapping adornments have moved way beyond classic ribbons and curlicue bows, though those are still great ways to embellish gifts. Add some thoughtful baubles, such as commemorative ornaments, colorful candies, or small stocking stuffers to your gift wrap supplies. These can be attached to the package with tape or ribbon, and they add a really special touch to the gifting experience. Some other adornments that add a special touch of panache to a wrapped gift include adhesive-backed gemstones, 3D stickers, and chunky yarn bows for extra texture.
Celebrating Across the Miles
If you can’t be with your loved ones during the holidays, your thoughtful, beautifully wrapped gifts can still add warmth to the holidays. Start with a shipping box that holds your wrapped packages securely. Add bubble wrap, newspaper, or packing peanuts to fill up any loose areas in the shipping box. To ensure your package will be okay for shipping, gently shake the package to make sure nothing shifts around inside the shipping box. If anything does move, you can add more packing materials, being careful not to crush bows and other adornments.
Get ready for a special holiday gift exchange with your thoughtfully selected and beautifully wrapped gifts. While you’re enjoying the moment, be sure to snap plenty of fun holiday pictures to treasure for years to come.