Do you keep pretty ribbon and bows to reuse next year?

[Teaching3bears]

I bought some wide, thick wired candy cane striped ribbon.  It doesn’t feel like garbage so it will feel wrong to throw it in the garbage but  I have more.  What about bows?  I feel guilty throwing them when they are there for such a short time and so pretty.  At least paper can be recycled.

[regentrude]

I save ribbons, bows, *and* wrapping paper. I tie the wrapped packages with ribbon and don't use any tape in my wrapping; that way, the paper doesn't rip when you unwrap. It gets folded and reused multiple times.

Edited December 25, 2022 by regentrude

[maize]

I don't save these kinds of things; saving takes storage space and mental energy that are in short supply.

[stephanier.1765]

Just now, maize said:

I don't save these kinds of things; saving takes storage space and mental energy that are in short supply.

I hadn't thought of it that way but that's exactly why I don't either. Storage takes up a lot of space we don't have. If the bow was extra nice and I had a way to keep it that way, I would.

[marbel]

We don't buy bows but I will save ribbons and papers that are big enough to reuse. More and more we are using gift bags which we just fold up and reuse. I keep thinking about making fabric bags but never get around to it. We have one bin of all gift wrap supplies so if something came out of that bin, it will fit back in. So there's no extra storage needed, just the one bin. 

As of last night, we are completely out of Christmas gift wrap. A couple of gifts were wrapped in brown kraft paper, which is actually a look I like, with a nice ribbon around it. One of the kids got their Christmas socks in a wine bag saved from a gift brought to us once. 

[MEmama]

I’ve given up on wrapping paper and only use gift bags or boxes, which get reused for years. DS's Christmas Eve pjs go in the same box I’ve used since he was 2 or 3 🤣. 
 

For ribbons I use bakers twine, I do save and reuse it unless it doesn’t make sense. I don’t use bows. I reuse tags too.
 

Wrapping gifts causes me major stress and anxiety so it’s best for me to just have all the stuff ready to go. Sometimes I think ahead and keep tissue paper still in the bags/boxes so I can just toss the gift in, close it up and be done. My hatred for wrapping truly cannot be overstated.

[MEmama]

23 minutes ago, stephanier.1765 said:

I hadn't thought of it that way but that's exactly why I don't either. Storage takes up a lot of space we don't have. If the bow was extra nice and I had a way to keep it that way, I would.

I just have one Rubbermaid box for wrapping supplies. The amount doesn’t really change year to year since I reuse it all.

[marbel]

1 minute ago, MEmama said:

My hatred for wrapping truly cannot be overstated.

I hate wrapping too! But I love the look of a beautifully wrapped gift. My sister wrapped and decorated gifts so well. (She also has gorgeous handwriting.)  It was truly a pleasure to look at her wrapped gifts because they were so beautiful. But I don't reciprocate. 😉

[Faith-manor]

I save bows all the time, and then try to reuse them for other occasions. Dh's nephew got married last month, and I used plain, silver wrapping paper and gorgeous silver and gold ribbon and bow from a gift we received the previous year.

For our family unit though, I made a big bunch of fabric gift bags in a variety of sizes. Every person has a stash, and we just gift them back and forth to each other. I prefer that to wrapping paper going into the landfill. But I haven't made any for other occasions like weddings. Not only will the bag not remain in circulation with immediate family, it will end up chucked into the garbage if the receiver is not a person who values reusing it, and fabric is expensive enough for that to be cost prohibitive and not environmentally friendly since paper will at least bio-degrade in a somewhat reasonable period of time.

If we get a nice size piece of wrapping paper that is not torn up badly, I will trim the tape pieces off the edges, fold, and re-use.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Yes

[regentrude]

41 minutes ago, maize said:

 saving takes storage space and mental energy that are in short supply.

I don't understand how putting it away takes more mental energy than going out to purchase new supplies every year. I mean, one puts away dishes and clothes too....Presumably the new stuff takes up space too?

I don't store mountains of supplies, just a tote of gift bags and a pizza box of paper and ribbon.

Edited December 25, 2022 by regentrude

[regentrude]

7 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

For our family unit though, I made a big bunch of fabric gift bags in a variety of sizes. Every person has a stash, and we just gift them back and forth to each other. I prefer that to wrapping paper going into the landfill. But I haven't made any for other occasions like weddings. Not only will the bag not remain in circulation with immediate family, it will end up chucked into the garbage if the receiver is not a person who values reusing it, and fabric is expensive enough for that to be cost prohibitive and not environmentally friendly since paper will at least bio-degrade in a somewhat reasonable period of time.

If we get a nice size piece of wrapping paper that is not torn up badly, I will trim the tape pieces off the edges, fold, and re-use.

Yes to reusable gift bags. I don't ever buy wrapping paper- I use the free paper I get sent from organizations,  and I still have very nice paper that I have been using for 15 or so years.

Edited December 25, 2022 by regentrude

[gingersmom]

I reuse gift bags.

So depending on what I have means it may not match the holiday.

Happy Valentine’s Day bag for your birthday, Christmas themed bag for Hanukkah ( we are Jewish  🙂  ), etc

Its a funny thing we do and my kids love it.

[Faith-manor]

Just now, regentrude said:

Yes to reusable gift bags. I don't ever buy wrapping paper- I use the free paper I get sent from organizations,  and I still have very nice paper that I have been using for 15 or so years.

I never get free paper! Bummer. That is awesome that you do not have to buy any.

[regentrude]

1 minute ago, Faith-manor said:

I never get free paper! Bummer. That is awesome that you do not have to buy any.

It's all unsolicited. World Wildlife, Audubon, National Wildlife... a few sheets each year

[lulalu]

Yes. I don't like going out every year to buy new wrapping supplies. I save it all. 

[historically accurate]

We don't use ribbons because we have cats - they stalk ribbons and bows like they are furry generals waging a tactical assault LOL.

I buy 2-3 rolls of paper and a pack of to/from stickers (although I have been known to just write it on the wrapping paper with a sharpie) at Dollar Tree in January every year. We do reuse gift bags every year.

[ikslo]

Depends on my mood.

Also depends on how others open the gift. I’m not going to deny my son the joy of tearing open a gift or tell someone they can’t mess up a ribbon on a gift that was given to them, just to save the paper/ribbon.

If it is worth saving at cleanup and I’m in the mood, it gets put back with the supplies. If it ends up in the trash, I don’t lose any sleep over it.

 

[Carrie12345]

We don’t use ribbons or bows. Maybe when more kids are out of the house and cramming packages in hiding spaces that crush such things isn’t an issue anymore!

[maize]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

I don't understand how putting it away takes more mental energy than going out to purchase new supplies every year. I mean, one puts away dishes and clothes too....Presumably the new stuff takes up space too?

I don't store mountains of supplies, just a tote of gift bags and a pizza box of paper and ribbon.

I don't have to store it all year if I just buy new wrapping supplies the week before Christmas. And mental energy invested is minimal--I grab wrapping paper when I am at the grocery store; it's always half price the week before Christmas.

I think it's just one of those things where what is easy for one person can be hard for another. We've established in the past that I'm terrible at executive function, and for me the mental energy required to put everything tidily away in a box after Christmas morning and store it all year is significant. 

Also, we're a family of nine in 1700 square feet. Storage space is at a premium and goes to things like out-of-season clothes and in-use stuff like towels. Just finding space to store stockings and Christmas tree ornaments is hard.

Edited December 25, 2022 by maize

[maize]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

It's all unsolicited. World Wildlife, Audubon, National Wildlife... a few sheets each year

I have never once been sent free wrapping paper!

[maize]

I did have extra stockings this year that someone gifted me so I used those as wrapping for some smaller gifts.

[regentrude]

22 minutes ago, maize said:

I have never once been sent free wrapping paper!

once I donated to one org, the solicitations kept coming... and they also send Christmas cards and I haven't bought any in years

[Spy Car]

Oh, yes.

My late mother-in-law was the queen of Christmas wrapping. She made every gift look special when it was wrapped and she chose presents with the ultimate consideration of what the recipient would really enjoy. That was her super-power.

She would keep beautiful ribbons to re-use. Now my wife does the same. I'm sure many of them go back for a long time. There is a drawer in a China cabinet/hutch where they live.

They serve as a link to Christmases past and those who are no longer with us, but are not forgotten.

Bill

 

 

 

[Terabith]

We have ribbons and bows from before I was born.  That are used every year. 

[Drama Llama]

I don’t put ribbons and bows on presents for the most part.  When I was teaching, if I got a particularly beautiful bow, I would put it on a present that Christmas and pass it on.

I do have relatives who put a lot of effort into wrapping beautifully.  I enjoy the trimmings and hand them back so they can reuse.

So laziness meets environmental friendliness. 

[Clarita]

I've saved wrapping to re-use. I'm not a strict about it with little kids sometimes they just destroy the wrapping, but then I figure  maybe they're less of a waste because they were played with. I do it because I'm too lazy to buy cute do-dads to wrap with and occasionally I want my presents to look fancy so I re-use.

[Arcadia]

DS18 likes the cloth ribbons so he keeps those. I have a shelf in my kitchen cabinet that I keep all the bows and ribbons that can be reused. Gift bags that can be reused goes into our coat closet. I don’t keep wrapping paper but I do fold and keep the wrapping tissue to reuse for wrapping fragile gifts. 

[Jenny in Florida]

We switched years ago to reusable cloth bags and fabric ribbon. We save and reuse almost everything for many years.

In the last couple of years, we've also started wrapping by "artistically" folding fabric to wrap items.

[saraha]

We save bows, bags and tissue paper. It is dd19’s job at every gift giving occasion to collect bows, tissue paper and bags immediately upon unwrapping as she can smooth and straighten everything out so nicely. She has a repurposed box that she keeps the folded tissue paper squares in organized by color! One of her activities Christmas afternoon is to get the big box it’s all kept in and reorganize it so that bags are grouped by occasion and size. She finds this activity fun.

[mommyoffive]

Here is how we do presents.  We have reusable boxes and bags.  Lots made of fabric.  Christmas eve we dump the kids presents in bags or boxes.  We have saved tissue paper inside the bags or boxes puff that into place and tie the bags shut with ribbon we have saved from the other years.  So yep we save things.  It takes a bit of storage space but I am happy to give up the  storage space because "wrapping" presents for all the kids takes like 20 mins or less, and that counts opening all the boxes everything was sent in. And I am not throwing away so much.

Edited December 25, 2022 by mommyoffive

[KrissiK]

Definitely!!! Even the not so pretty ones get reused. Everything gets reused except torn wrapping paper.

[gardenmom5]

There are reasons I started replacing the stick on bows, their ability to get smooshed being but one . . . 

So, I started buying ribbon, and would tie a bow around presents.  Then - I'd roll up the used ribbon to use again another time.  I have ribbons I've used for several years.  If I need to cut it to fit, I will.  If it's too short, I toss it.

I think the ribbon looks nice than the stick on bows.

I also bought some of the really nice name tags.  For family - I save the tags and reuse.   

[gardenmom5]

8 hours ago, regentrude said:

I save ribbons, bows, *and* wrapping paper. I tie the wrapped packages with ribbon and don't use any tape in my wrapping; that way, the paper doesn't rip when you unwrap. It gets folded and reused multiple times.

how do you get the paper to stay around the package while tying on the ribbon?
My kids have gotten mad at me when I've tried to save MY wrapping paper  - just rip it mom!

but they are so well trained about ribbon and name tags that 2ds was grabbing all the name tags as people were unwrapping their gifts and putting them in a pile.  (no ribbon this year.  I asked him to do it - and he chose not to.)

7 hours ago, historically accurate said:

We don't use ribbons because we have cats - they stalk ribbons and bows like they are furry generals waging a tactical assault LOL.

I buy 2-3 rolls of paper and a pack of to/from stickers (although I have been known to just write it on the wrapping paper with a sharpie) at Dollar Tree in January every year. We do reuse gift bags every year.

and name tags (the kind that will dangle from their tiny ribbon ties.).   Oooooh, for meeeeee . . . . . .

i got into making beaded necklaces . . . he sits there just waiting for me to turn my back. . . . ooooh, shiny . .want . .

[SKL]

Yes, I re-use all of it except for used wrapping paper.

I don't stick bows onto presents.  I just place them on the gifts after spreading the gifts around.  That makes it easier to re-use them.

[prairiewindmomma]

I used to.

We now have reusable cloth bags. Someone gifted me a bunch of fabric from their stash a few years ago and I have been slowly sewing up a sizable number of bags.

[regentrude]

52 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

how do you get the paper to stay around the package while tying on the ribbon?

Super easy if it's a box or book. I made you a quick video:

 

 

 

[ScoutTN]

Yes!

[1234]

We don’t use ribbons and bows, so don’t keep those. When the kids were little, I started buying each their own wrapping paper and they’ve always enjoyed it so it’s just something I’ve always done. I’m kind of tired of it now, though. 😬 I’m planning to make everyone reusable gift bags that will be used for many years starting next year. I’m going to pick out fabric for each so they still have their own unique wrapping, but it won’t change anymore every year obviously. They don’t know this yet but I think they’ll like it since it will mean less waste. I’m kind of excited to pick out the fabric and make them.

[marbel]

3 hours ago, regentrude said:

Super easy if it's a box or book. I made you a quick video:

Thanks for the video! I wrap mostly boxes and books and quite honestly never thought of just skipping the tape. I even do the ribbon the same way you do. Just one of those things that never occurred to me and seems to obvious when seeing it! 

[Brittany1116]

12 hours ago, ikslo said:

Depends on my mood.

Also depends on how others open the gift. I’m not going to deny my son the joy of tearing open a gift or tell someone they can’t mess up a ribbon on a gift that was given to them, just to save the paper/ribbon.

If it is worth saving at cleanup and I’m in the mood, it gets put back with the supplies. If it ends up in the trash, I don’t lose any sleep over it.

 

This exactly. I have a somewhat large but not huge gift bag that I put the collapsed shirt boxes, other bags, decent bows, and leftover roll of paper into, and I stick that bag in a closet for a year. I don't fret about how much gets saved or lost. 

[Resilient]

For sure. 

[Eos]

When we used paper we saved a lot of it and it was a bit stressful to worry about not ripping the nice pieces, but we've switched to cloth. I'm not enough of a sewist to make bags so I get interesting looking fat quarters and remnants to use, plus we just have a lot of fabric from years of projects. We use yarn or cloth ribbon for ribbons, and either reuse or not.  This year dh went next level and started using safety pins to secure the cloth (he is a quilter and has a ton.) Most things I can just tie a double wrap bow around with either yarn or cloth ribbon and it holds just fine.

@MEmamaI hear you about hating wrapping, I did too when we used paper.  Two really nice things about using fabric and yarn: it can go really fast, for example I just stuck one gift in the middle of a piece and drew up the corners then wrapped the bunch with yarn like a hobo-pack, done.  It was pretty because the fabric was pretty.  The other really nice thing is that it's basically silent to unwrap - I find the sounds of paper wrapping a bit overwhelming, and fabric is very soothing.  It also makes the presents look cozy together under the tree.  It all goes back in the box for other projects and next year's wrapping.  Marden's has great fabric scraps!

Edited December 26, 2022 by Eos

[wathe]

Save!

We've been using the same cloth bags and fabric pieces for close to 20 years now with family.  They go back and forth year to year.  Tie off with reused ribbon, yarn, or jute twine.

For gifts going outside the household, I will often re-use a paper gift bag.  We save them, and alway seem to have enough that I never have to buy any. I will occasionally use paper instead.  Usually kraft paper.  Which the kids will sometimes cover with drawings, sometimes not.

[Grace Hopper]

Sometimes? I’m more apt to save gift bags for reuse. 
 

Something I keep saying I’m going to do but haven’t gotten around to yet is making reusable fabric bags of various sizes. I’m sure some of those would be given away and not reused, but at least for our family gift exchange day I could collect them back for reuse. 

[ikslo]

My two reusable gift bags that are red felt are currently being used to cover plants to protect them from the cold. In case anyone is trying to decide on what fabric to use… 🤣

[Brittany1116]

Also, if anyone is looking to buy more cloth sacks, Hobby Lobby had their canvas holiday sacks on sale 70 or 75% off and my store still had many as of a couple days ago. 

[rebcoola]

I do gift bags both fabric and regular and they are all saved and reused. 

My mother is the queen of beautiful presents with elaborate bows it's gorgeous and she does save reuse the good ribbon.

[mom2scouts]

We don't often use ribbons or bows and I already have enough of both to last for years. We save gift bags, but used wrapping paper gets put in the recycing bin. We never worry about ripping the paper or keeping it nice. I have a plastic bin full of wrapping paper and haven't had to buy any for years.