Photo by zerobug, sxc.hu
Proper gift wrapping is an art. Good gift wrapping not only disguises the gift, but it is also decorative and draws attention to the gift. Here are some ideas for wrapping your Christmas gifts:
Collect the Supplies
The first thing to do is to gather all the supplies you'll need to wrap your gifts. You can buy wrapping paper, gift boxes, gift bags, bows, ribbons, and other decorative materials. There are plain colors as well as special Christmas-themed packaging. You'll also need tape, scissors, and labels.
Wrapping Ideas
- Use a variety of colors when wrapping gifts. This will spice things up a bit and keep people guessing whom each gift is from.
- You can also buy bows and ribbons to add as decorations to your gifts.
- Get colorful gift boxes of different sizes. You can cut special figures and patterns on these boxes. Then, place colored tissue paper inside to make the patterns stand out.
- Wrap the gift boxes in monochromatic wrapping paper, and add contrasting colored ribbons to it. Attach a nice tassel or ribbon and the gift is ready.
- You can use light-weight felt, fleece, or paper to create snowflakes, which can then be attached to your gifts.
- Fabric wrapping paper is also a nice touch. Not only does it look good, but it's eco-friendly.
How to Wrap a Gift
Now that you have some ideas for wrapping materials and decorations, you'll need to know how to wrap. The steps below are for wrapping a simple-shaped box but can be applied to oddly shaped packages as well.
Step 1: Roll out the wrapping paper on the table. Make sure you have enough paper to cover the whole gift. You can determine this by measuring or by estimation. Either way, leave a couple extra inches of paper just to be safe.
Step 2: Place the gift face down in the center of the paper. Bring paper from the long sides of the package up and to the middle of it. Pull it tight and tape one edge over the other.
Step 3: Next, you'll need to close the sides of the gift. Face the open end of the package toward you and fold the right and left edges, pushing the sides in next to your box to form flaps.
Step 4: Fold top flap down to the box, pull it tight, and tape it. Fold the bottom flap up, pull it tight, and tape it. Repeat this process for the other side of the package.
Step 5: Run your fingers along the edges of the box to crease the paper and give it a nice, crisp look.
Once you've wrapped your gift, you can add bows, ribbons, or other decorations. Don't forget to label each gift after you've wrapped it. You can write who the gift is for as well as who it's from. You could also choose to leave it anonymous.
TIP: Check out this video from ExpertVillage.com for a demonstration of how to wrap a gift.