Let's talk about wrapping presents

[Pink Fairy]

I will be spending an afternoon wrapping gifts next week, and honestly, I'm dreading it. I usually deconstruct everything so that Christmas morning isn't spent dealing with twist-ties and staples, plus I put in/charge batteries, assemble whatever needs it, etc.

 

Does anyone want to share their tips for making this job less horrible? Maybe tools you've found that make it easier?

[unsinkable]

I will be spending an afternoon wrapping gifts next week, and honestly, I'm dreading it. I usually deconstruct everything so that Christmas morning isn't spent dealing with twist-ties and staples, plus I put in/charge batteries, assemble whatever needs it, etc.

 

Does anyone want to share their tips for making this job less horrible? Maybe tools you've found that make it easier?

 

Cheerful music, a healthy lunch and yummy treats.

 

And, not that you don't have it, a grateful heart. Makes the job go faster!

 

Also a table at a comfortable height.

[Tabrett]

Not a tool, but we have bought big laundry bags for each child and put all their presents in the bag so we didn't have to wrap each gift. Last year we set out each child's gift in a particular area of the living room, unwrapped. I'm not crazy about buying paper to just rip it up and throw it away!

Edited December 18, 2009 by Tabrett

[Mrs Mungo]

My husband and I usually do it together. It's not something that really bothers either of us though.

[melissel]

Not a tool, but we have bought big laundry bags for each child and put all thier presents in the bag so we didn't have to wrap each gift. Last year we set out each childs gift in a particular area of the living room, unwrapped. I'm not crazy about buying paper to just rip it up and throw it away!

 

One of my first goals when I'm blissfully unemployed and have some time on my hands is to sew up a bunch of Christmas wrapping bags in various sizes. I hate wrapping paper too, and I need the sewing practice. The paper thing has been driving me bonkers for a few years now!

[Mabeline]

I have found using an envelope opener with a metal blade very nice for cutting wrapping paper. I just make a tiny snip with the scissors on the endge of the paper then use the envelope opener and slice down the length of the paper.

My only other idea is to put your ipod on with a great audiobook.

Goodluck!

[Dawn in OH]

I LOVE to wrap presents. But I don't sit around and remove all the twist ties and charge batteries. I need something to slow the kids down a bit Christmas morning so all the presents aren't opened in under 30 seconds.

 

My husband and I do it together, although, not really. I think he's really only there for support. He doesn't actually wrap anything. We put on Christmas music and either have drinks, or more recently, he has a drink and I get hot chocolate (pregnant or nursing for the past 4 years).

 

Good tools do help. I use a nice sharp knife for slicing the wrapping paper. Scissors for ribbon. Good quality transparent tape.

 

It's a fun night for me, as long as I don't end up running behind.

[jillian]

I will be spending an afternoon wrapping gifts next week, and honestly, I'm dreading it. I usually deconstruct everything so that Christmas morning isn't spent dealing with twist-ties and staples, plus I put in/charge batteries, assemble whatever needs it, etc.

 

Does anyone want to share their tips for making this job less horrible? Maybe tools you've found that make it easier?

 

Yummy baked goods, coffee and or tea. I don't usually deconstruct everything but Christmas eve will be a late night for us...dd is getting a play kitchen that I want assembled before Christmas morning but has to be done Christmas eve since we have nowhere to store it until then built. She is also getting an easel. I absolutely adore the little scotch tape holder that you where on your hand it really is easier. I also recommend wrapping on a bed or at a table because sitting on the floor to wrap KILLS my back.

[The Governess]

I found this nifty contraption that has helped.

 

You put the dispenser around your hand, and little pieces of tape pop up just like post-it notes. Dealing with the tape always drives me nuts when I am wrapping gifts and this has made things so much quicker and less frustrating for me this year!

 

I found mine at staples, but couldn't find it to link to on their website.

[praisefor3]

I used to dread it and so turned it in to a special "me" night - quite unusual around here. I watch "You've Got Mail" while I wrap - my favorite feel good movie. I usually don't like to rewatch movies but this has become my tradition! Now I look forward to it!

[MelanieM]

We use holiday-themed fabric for wrapping. I have pieces in different sizes and we fold it around the gift and secure with yarn or ribbon tied in a bow. Then come Christmas morning, I fold the fabric up as it comes off the gifts, gather the ribbon and yarn, and put it all back in the bin for the next year.

 

We do all of our wrapping on Christmas eve after the kids are in bed. We usually don't have loads of stuff for them, and I try to choose things that have very little packaging in the first place. But this year my mom is sending MP3 players, so I will unpack those and load them up before hand so that the kids can use them right out of the box.

[Imprimis]

Oh, I love wrapping gifts! I put on my favorite Christmas music, light a Christmas-y scented candle, and, pour a cup of coffee or glass of wine and make an evening of it.

 

While I do use wrapping paper, I also use Christmas fabric for smaller gifts(both my dds and I sew and quilt and have lots of fat quarters on hand ) and always reusable fabric bows and ribbons on packages.

 

As someone else mentioned, I make sure I have good sharp scissors and plenty of tape. I like to have two rolls on hand because invariably I misplace one during my wrap session and start throwing paper, boxes, and all manner of gifts around in an effort to find it...so I keep a spare next to me now;).

 

If a gift needs batteries, I usually put them in the box if possible or wrap and tape them to the outside of the gift so we're not looking for them after the present is opened. Only big things get assembled before Christmas morning.

[Happy]

I set up the card table and a chair in my bedroom. I hang a sign on the door that says 'Elves at Work Keep out!' Then I assemble all the available wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, scissors, tape, and tags. After I pop in a DVD or turn on a DVR movie, I get to work. I love having one of those sweet Christmas movies that Lifetime shows this time of year on as background. Like a previous poster, I love "You've got Mail" so I may pop it in this year. Jane Austen works well, too. The point is to have a sweet movie that you don't have to pay a lot of attention to happening in the background.

 

If you can get dh to take the kids out to a movie or a long outing, you can use the big dining room table.

[IsabelC]

Um, buy less stuff so it's not much of a job to wrap? :lol: I have seriously never spent more than about 10 minutes wrapping all ours. Don't buy things that are difficult shapes, only get things in rectangular boxes ;)

 

Or, don't wrap. Get each child a nice big basket, box or supersized bag and toss everything in it. Think of the trees and money you'd save by not purchasing gift wrapping paper. Or if your kids really enjoy the unwrapping process, 'wrap' each gift in a pretty cloth (eg a teatowel).

 

Ps that is very thoughtful of you to put batteries into things that need them. It's very frustrating for kids to get something battery operated only to be told that they'll need to put batteries on the shopping list!

[Aubrey]

One of my first goals when I'm blissfully unemployed and have some time on my hands is to sew up a bunch of Christmas wrapping bags in various sizes. I hate wrapping paper too, and I need the sewing practice. The paper thing has been driving me bonkers for a few years now!

 

What a BRILLIANT idea! I LOVE it!

 

ETA: I need to see pics of what this would look like. I've never heard of wrapping w/ fabric.

Edited December 18, 2009 by Aubrey

[Mama Anna]

Um, buy less stuff so it's not much of a job to wrap? :lol:

:iagree:

I try to make sure that there's only 2 or 3 small gifts per kid (this year it's just a book or a game) because

1) We're low on cash

2) We try to keep Christmas from being all about the presents

3) We're low on space

4) They have waaaaay too many aunts and uncles with radically different priorities about this time of year. If we give them lots, too, we'll never be able to deal with the amount of stuff that will result. (SIL just emailed me that she found a dozen books on amazon.com that dd6 will like. A dozen! That's what . . . 6 to 9 inches of bookshelf space all used up in one Christmas? <sigh> And how many times will I be packing those same dozen books? (I love books, especially compared to some gifts that could be chosen. But, due to our frequent moves, I also adore libraries! :D)

 

Okay. Rant off. I now will be grateful for the generosity of my extended family and stop obsessing about space. Honest. :001_smile:

 

Mama Anna

 

PS: I really like the idea of cloth wrappings, too . . . all you'd need to do is serge the edges of several pieces of Christmas-themed cotton . . . hmmm . . .

[Osaubi]

I found various sized Christmas/Winter felt bags the at Big Lots one year. I wrap all of our presents in them instead of wrapping. Saves tons of time, and paper.

 

The kids wanted a Wii last year for Christmas. That is really out of our budget, but I told the kids if they were ok with that being the only present they get we could buy it as a family Christmas present. They said yes, and didn't complain one time about not getting anything else.

 

This year I gave them the option of redecorating their rooms or presents. Both of them picked redecorating room instead of presents. They are as excited about that as they would be lots of presents at Christmas. This also saves lots of unwanted wrapping!

Edited December 18, 2009 by Osaubi

[ladydusk]

I'm not crazy about buying paper to just rip it up and throw it away!

 

I used the inside of paper grocery bags and real ribbon this year. It looks great, and we'll save the ribbons and I didn't have to buy wrapping paper. Fun :)

[elegantlion]

Gift bags! My parents and I have several that we seem to give back and forth each year. I bought most of mine at the dollar store. I do wrap most of dh and ds' gifts as they enjoy the unwrapping, plus it's something for the cat to play with on Christmas morning.

[Tap]

Tiny wire snips to cut the wires instead of untwisting, a box cutter to get through the tape/boxes, and tiny cuticle scissors for the little rubber bands.

 

For wrapping....two pair of scissors and a desk style tape dispenser. I always misplace one pair of scissors. I also have a roller style, wrapping paper cutter that works on some papers but not all. I wrap them all, then do bows...that way if I run out of steam, everything is under tree none-the-less. And I don't have to be in hiding while I do bows. :0) I write the receiver's name or initial in the corner of every present, less I forget. When the kids were little, I would write the actual gift name backwards on the wrapper so I could remember what it was. :0)

[nukeswife]

One of my first goals when I'm blissfully unemployed and have some time on my hands is to sew up a bunch of Christmas wrapping bags in various sizes. I hate wrapping paper too, and I need the sewing practice. The paper thing has been driving me bonkers for a few years now!

 

I have done this for the last 5 years. I love our cloth gift bags, it make gift opening so much easier for the kids and when it's all over we just fold them up, put them in a plastic tote and store them in the closet for next year. I'm the envy of my neighborhood because I don't have 2 huge bags full of nothing but wrapping paper at the after xmas garbage pick up day.

 

The best tool for dealing with all the twist ties etc. is a good pair of wire cutters. Makes those twist ties a snap, or should I say a "snip" LOL

[2squared]

We have fabric gift bags. My aunt made them for us. Each kid has their own Christmas religious fabric pattern, and they each have about 10 different bags in varying sizes. We prep each gift (removing packaging, putting batteries, etc) and stuff it in a bag. The bags have drawstring closures. Easy peesy.

 

We don't buy much either.

[MelanieM]

PS: I really like the idea of cloth wrappings, too . . . all you'd need to do is serge the edges of several pieces of Christmas-themed cotton . . . hmmm . . .

 

Cutting the edges with pinking shears works fine, and there's no need to bother with serging or hemming. It's not like the fabric goes through a lot of wear and tear, or even needs laundering, so unfinished edges are no big deal. Once upon a time I had intended to make fabric bags, but it ended up being so easy using the pieces of fabric like this that I probably won't ever get around to that!

 

We also re-use gift bags and tissue paper from gifts we recieve over time. Between the gift bags (often used for outgoing gifts) and the fabric, I haven't bough gift-wrapping supplies in years!

[nukeswife]

What a BRILLIANT idea! I LOVE it!

 

ETA: I need to see pics of what this would look like. I've never heard of wrapping w/ fabric.

 

Here's what ours looked like Xmas '07, There was only one gift I didn't have a big enough bag for (but I've made more and bigger ones now)

 

[IsabelC]

Those look lovely, I reckon.

[MelanieM]

Another no-sew way to use the fabric is to place the gift in the middle of the fabric and pull opposite corners together and tie in knots, or gather the edges and cinch together with a ribbon.

[jillian]

We use holiday-themed fabric for wrapping. I have pieces in different sizes and we fold it around the gift and secure with yarn or ribbon tied in a bow. Then come Christmas morning, I fold the fabric up as it comes off the gifts, gather the ribbon and yarn, and put it all back in the bin for the next year.

 

We do all of our wrapping on Christmas eve after the kids are in bed. We usually don't have loads of stuff for them, and I try to choose things that have very little packaging in the first place. But this year my mom is sending MP3 players, so I will unpack those and load them up before hand so that the kids can use them right out of the box.

i adore this idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! like absolutely adore it.

[BikeBookBread]

I love wrapping. Crazy, I know. My Dad used to give me all of his gifts to wrap for Mom, but Mom didn't because she loves to wrap, too :)

 

I have two huge rolls of wrapping paper from Costco -- both are double sided and coordinate, so two rolls of paper = four designs. I have 3 colors of silky cloth ribbon from a packaging supply store...soft and flowing, easy to tie, very pretty. And CHEAP to buy -- 100s of yards for $5 a spool. I've had these same spools for 5 years now. The colors are red, white and green, and any of them match any of the paper colorways.

 

This year, because the girls are getting snoopy AND can read :) I'm going to do the color coding thing, and not place gift tags on the presents. I'll choose a particular ribbon color for each girl, but not spill the beans as to which color is for whom.

[Nestof3]

We do Christmas at my parents' house because theirs is large enough for a tree, and it's a half mile away. We store and wrap the presents over there as well. We keep all of our paper and gift bags together.

 

I admit, I do feel bad about the wasted paper, so perhaps fabric is in my future. When I was younger, I took time to hot glue Christmas picks and fabric ribbon on my packages. At least these things were used from year to year. We save many of our bows and always save our bags.

 

My husband and I wrap together. He wraps, and I decorate. We sometimes listen to music. We then carry them down to the tree together.

[jillian]

I love wrapping. Crazy, I know. My Dad used to give me all of his gifts to wrap for Mom, but Mom didn't because she loves to wrap, too :)

 

I have two huge rolls of wrapping paper from Costco -- both are double sided and coordinate, so two rolls of paper = four designs. I have 3 colors of silky cloth ribbon from a packaging supply store...soft and flowing, easy to tie, very pretty. And CHEAP to buy -- 100s of yards for $5 a spool. I've had these same spools for 5 years now. The colors are red, white and green, and any of them match any of the paper colorways.

 

This year, because the girls are getting snoopy AND can read :) I'm going to do the color coding thing, and not place gift tags on the presents. I'll choose a particular ribbon color for each girl, but not spill the beans as to which color is for whom.

i love wrapping too, i absolutely love seeing the beautiful pile of presents. this year i did a different wrap for dd and dh but not like i usually do with 4 or 5 different rolls relatively all coordinated and alternate them. i had another roll of paper for all my gifts to ship

[LibraryLover]

dh wraps the childrens' gifts and the children wrap everything else. I pawned the job off years ago. My 17 yr old was a master wrapper from a very young age.

[rwjx2khsmj]

i love wrapping too, i absolutely love seeing the beautiful pile of presents.

 

I love the time I get to spend thinking about the child that is going to receive the present and why I selected that gift. I usually spend some time praying for each child as I wrap.

 

I think one of the reasons that I love wrapping is that it is a space of quiet in a busy time.

 

We don't put any gifts out until Christmas Eve, after the dc have gone to bed. One of my favorite moments is after all the gifts are under the tree, dh and I sit down together to admire the tree and all the gifts and what it all means that particular year.

[melissel]

What a BRILLIANT idea! I LOVE it!

 

ETA: I need to see pics of what this would look like. I've never heard of wrapping w/ fabric.

 

Oh, I love the fabric wrap ideas here. Thank you all for sharing! I'm so hitting the after-Christmas sales at the fabric stores!

[jillian]

I love the time I get to spend thinking about the child that is going to receive the present and why I selected that gift. I usually spend some time praying for each child as I wrap.

 

I think one of the reasons that I love wrapping is that it is a space of quiet in a busy time.

 

We don't put any gifts out until Christmas Eve, after the dc have gone to bed. One of my favorite moments is after all the gifts are under the tree, dh and I sit down together to admire the tree and all the gifts and what it all means that particular year.

now that we have a mobile little one we don't put out presents either until Christmas eve.

 

Dh and I too focus on the various meanings of Christmas and how much the person is going to love the gifts. That's what is beautiful about the wrapped presents for me....one reason it is so hard being away from my family, I love seeing their faces when they open their gifts.....:( I miss home

[Mothersweets]

Not a tool, but we have bought big laundry bags for each child and put all their presents in the bag so we didn't have to wrap each gift. Last year we set out each child's gift in a particular area of the living room, unwrapped. I'm not crazy about buying paper to just rip it up and throw it away!

 

That is such a wonderful idea! I have 11 kids and I am dreading having to finish wrapping all their presents. I wish I would have heard of this sooner!...next year will be different. :)

[woolybear]

Ooooh I like the idea of watching a movie at the same time. I'm wondering now if my library has You've got Mail.

 

I dread it too. Dh doesn't help. I get very bored with the whole thing and it takes too long. I usually put it off till the last minute and them I'm up too late doing it. It makes it not so much fun. I think I will start tonight.

[woolybear]

I love the time I get to spend thinking about the child that is going to receive the present and why I selected that gift. I usually spend some time praying for each child as I wrap.

.

 

What a beautiful perspective on it. Thank you for those thoughts.

[mcconnellboys]

Sorry, no advice for the maddening twist ties, but Santa is always very busy and so no one at our house expects him to use anything but gift bags (which I reuse from year to year, recyling those seen by children to gifts for others so that the "Santa bags" are always different). He also leaves a sprinkling of unwrapped things among the bags, beside the stockings, etc.

[Chris in VA]

I usually wrap a few before Christmas Eve, and dh wraps those he buys and stores at his office (mostly mine and the kids' "big gifts"), but the majority of my wrapping happens on Christmas Eve after everyone is in bed. Dh is doing the Midnight Mass, and gets home around 1:30, so I try to finish the wrapping by then--I want to be up when he gets home, anyway. We take a moment in front of the tree.

I wrap everything, including stocking gifts. (I don't take things out of the packaging tho--) It's just our kids and us, but it's usually a pile. IDK, I guess because we don't buy much during the year, we just buy a lot at Christmas--we are blessed to be able to do that. I make sure I can sit down from time to time, and I wrap at the dining room table. It usually takes me about 3 hours.

[Pink Fairy]

open my website

 

:spam: reported.

[kls126s]

Hate wrapping. Here's my confession for this year -

 

 

1. I ran out of tape so I switched to my tape gun. Oh yes I did. I did at least cut it in little strips so it looks like regular tape, but it’s the shiny tape gun tape all the same.
   
2. I did not trim the ends of most packages where the gift wrap was too long to fold neatly over the ends. I just creased it as best I could and mushed it down.
   
3. I wrapped several gifts with no boxes. They were unusual sizes and I just added more tape to make sure it all sticks together.
   
4. I did not use gift tags. I did the cut-a-square-of-gift-wrap-and-tape-it-on-upside-down trick.
   
5. I used the 99 cents for 200 bows kind of bows on all of them. At least I added more than one bow to some of the bigger boxes just so it didn’t look too anemic.
   
6. I don’t feel guilty about any of this since it will be ripped up and thrown away in a matter of days.
   

 

I love the idea of fabric bags with drawstrings and will have to think more about doing that for next year...

[Chris in VA]

Hate wrapping. Here's my confession for this year -

 

 

1. I ran out of tape so I switched to my tape gun. Oh yes I did. I did at least cut it in little strips so it looks like regular tape, but it’s the shiny tape gun tape all the same.

2. I did not trim the ends of most packages where the gift wrap was too long to fold neatly over the ends. I just creased it as best I could and mushed it down.

3. I wrapped several gifts with no boxes. They were unusual sizes and I just added more tape to make sure it all sticks together.

4. I did not use gift tags. I did the cut-a-square-of-gift-wrap-and-tape-it-on-upside-down trick.

5. I used the 99 cents for 200 bows kind of bows on all of them. At least I added more than one bow to some of the bigger boxes just so it didn’t look too anemic.

6. I don’t feel guilty about any of this since it will be ripped up and thrown away in a matter of days.

 

I love the idea of fabric bags with drawstrings and will have to think more about doing that for next year...

 

 

That's pretty much the way I do it every year...:lol:

Except the tape gun--innnnterrressting....very innnnterresting...:lol:

[Pink Fairy]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Some great ideas here! I'll be starting the process either today of tomorrow, and I'm going to incorporate a lot of these suggestions--especially the ones involving wine.

[lynn]

We invested in one of these last year. Made opening packaging and getting all those pesty ties off so much easier.