Do I Really Have To Wrap This?

Ah, Christmas! It’s sneaking up on us fast! If you are like me, you are nowhere near prepared for this festive day. Then to top it off, we have to actually wrap all these gifts we go out and buy for our loved ones. I love to give and receive gifts. I truly do! The expressions on the faces of my friends and family as they open their new treasures are one of my favorite things in the world. The look of shock when they get something they have wanted for so long! Or even the look of dread when the kids open clothes, again. Christmas is one of my favorite days of the year. But let’s face it…making those presents so pretty and perfect is a nightmare in itself! Is it enough to just put it in a pretty bag with some tissue paper and some nice ribbon? That works for birthday presents. But is it acceptable on Christmas? Or do people really expect more? After all, Christmas is not truly about the presents, right. When it comes down to it, though, we all like to see the presents with the beautiful paper and bows under the tree. I hope with a few tips, we can all wrap up some gorgeous treats for our friends and families this year. So, here we go…
1. Measure your paper before you wrap the present. Roll it out on your wrapping surface and lay your present on it. Wrap it around the present. Mark where you need to cut and then cut the paper.
2. Sharpen your scissors. This will cut down on tears in your paper. So your paper will look nice and neat.
3. Use the pop up tape dispenser. This will prevent trying to find your roll of tape and holding paper in place with your feet (yes, I have done this!) while trying to tear off a piece of tape. The dispenser will slide on your wrist and be right there nice and handy.
4. Place the gift upside down on the paper when you start to wrap it. Everyone I know does this, but there are some who don’t. The purpose is so that when the other person opens the gift it will be right side up. Also, so all the lines from the gift wrap are on the bottom.
5. Label each gift with the sticky labels. Instead of just writing on the paper or using the ones that you tape on the package, these are like stickers and stay on so much better.
6. Use ribbons instead of bows. Ribbons are so pretty and you can curl them. Besides bows fall off after like a day or two. If you absolutely must use bows, tape them on.
7. Make gift baskets. They are creative. People can use the baskets over again. But wrap the baskets in cellophane and tie it off with a ribbon so you don’t lose anything. There are many pretty colors of cellophane this time of year. Also they have giant cellophane bags for this purpose for holidays.
8. Use stockings for small gifts instead of gift bags. They are fun and very Christmassy!
9. For large gifts, use Rubber Maid containers. They are also in different colors, including red and green, and you can decorate them!
10. If you have those odd shaped gifts that you just can’t wrap, go on and use that gift bag. I think they are very pretty and practical. If you put a sticky label on the side, you can almost guarantee you won’t be given the same bag back next year! Dress it up with some colorful tissue paper and ribbons and you are all set!

I hope these tips help us all to have a wonderful, semi-stress free gift wrapping season. Merry Christmas to you all!