Yesterday was wrapping day. We don’t give huge gifts, and we’re not getting anything that wriggles. Nonetheless, it was a bit of a project.
If you’re into recycling and reusing like I am, Christmas wrapping is a mental stretch. I have a couple of rolls of old wrapping paper in my basement, and I do use them occasionally. However, the fact that they’ve lived with me since we arrived in our house over seven years ago tells me that I don’t tend to use a lot of wrapping paper. What do we do instead?
- Chocolate boxes, cookie containers, and old bags from last Christmas are your first resource of choice. One very fancy gift this year is tucked inside a reused chocolate box that looks oh-so-chic.
- How about a gift basket? We use thrift store baskets to contain many of our gifts for adults. They’re especially pretty places to store canned goods.
- Wrap in paper that you stamp or have the children draw on. Paper is recyclable, while most wrapping paper is not.
- Wrap gifts in reusable bags, or if you’re feeling terribly crafty, make these bags yourself out of old t-shirts or fabric scraps.
- Wrap gifts in fabric that’s tied together with a pretty ribbon. This works especially well for gifts for slow unwrappers, since it’s pretty hard to tear the cloth! It’s also a good choice for immediate family members, since you can use your prettiest fabrics, then put them back on the shelf when unwrapping is done.
- Wrap a gift in another gift. A gift that has space inside is the perfect place to tuck in other gifts. You might give a purse and stuff it with other treats as well. Just make sure that the recipient knows to look inside.
- Put a bow on it. If you have a gift that’s hard to wrap, just put a big bow on it and call it a day. Sure, it will be “unwrapped” first, but that’s all right!
- Food gifts can go in brown paper bags, and the bags can go in the compost if they’re stained with food after they’ve been unwrapped. Wrapped with a festive ribbon, these bags look delightfully minimalist.
- Give gift coupons or experience gifts that are easy to wrap: you just put them into a fancy envelope.
Photo: Surivsuriv