Christmas Gifts: Wrapped Up And Ready To Give

There probably are people who’d ask why a gift has to be wrapped up at all. It all does seem so pointless, doesn’t it? And yet, nothing can quite beat the magic of a beautifully-packed gift and the thrill of waiting in anticipation while you open it up to get to what’s inside. So let’s take a look at how to dress up the smallest, simplest gift so it looks great!

Let’s go the classic way first, with all the trimmings. Gift wrapping means taking out the ribbons, the wrapping paper, the scissors and the tape. First of all, you have to choose your wrapping paper. You could choose something that’s bright and cheery or classy and elegant. Or you could choose from the wide range of specialty wrapping paper available today. Cute Easter bunnies, holly and wreaths for Christmas, candles for birthdays….the range is wide and wonderful. If you’re going to be wrapping the gift yourself, you will have to take care during the next step, which is wrapping the paper well around the gift. This is easier if the gift is a regular shape like a box, but needs a lot more deftness if it is an irregular or unusual shape.

You need to make sure that your wrapping paper is one and a half times the size of your gift on all sides. Put your gift exactly in the center and bring together two ends and tape it right in the middle. Now, tape it above this point and below so the packing is secure and doesn’t shift around. Now for the two ends. Fold each side into two triangles, at the top and the bottom, bring one over the other and tape in place. Do the same on the other side as well. Pull the paper a bit to make sure it’s a snug fit. For a change, you could wrap it the same way but use fabric instead of paper. A brightly designed fabric could make a very special gift.

You also get wrapping paper with grids marked on the wrong side. This makes it easier to measure just how much you are going to need and also easier to cut as you’ll be doing it along the marked lines. After you’re through, you can tie it up with a bright ribbon with a huge bow perhaps. That’s not all. If you want more of an artistic touch, you could add beads, baubles, glitter, whatever.

If you don’t have the time or the inclination, there’s a world of packaging options available out there and all you have to do is choose. You could get a fabric bag or a paper gift bag. These come in a variety of designs and the great thing is all you have to do is put your gift in. Just make sure you pick the right size so the person you give the gift to does not have to fish out a little package from a huge bag! What you could also do is scrunch up a few tissues and put it in on top of the gift.

Or, you could get a decorative box that is the right size for your gift. They come in all sizes, shapes and colors. These do away with the hassles of wrapping it yourself and look great with the addition of a ribbon with a great big bow on top.

All it takes to add that something special to a gift is a little time, a little effort and a little thought. All well worth it when you see the joy on the receiver’s face!