The perfect gift is one that comes from the heart. The problem is, wrapping Christmas presents is a time-consuming task that can be difficult to do well – and it doesn’t come naturally to everyone! The last thing you want is for your loved one to open their gift and find it sloppily wrapped, with bows falling off or holes in the paper spoiling the surprise.
The good news is, with patience and practise, you too can become great at wrapping Christmas presents (and other kinds of presents, for that matter). There are plenty of ways to make your gifts look like they were professionally wrapped, no matter what shape or size they are.
The key is to ensure you’ve got all the materials you’ll need before you start. Take things slow, and follow the top present-wrapping tips in this article to make things easier.
What Do I Need to Wrap the Perfect Christmas Gift?
If you want to wrap a Christmas present beautifully and efficiently, the first thing you need is to gather your supplies. Having everything in place before you begin is a sure-fire way to make the whole present wrapping process easier, less time consuming, and less frustrating.
Wrapping Paper
Wrapping paper is the primary wrapping material for Christmas presents. It comes in many styles and colours, so it’s important to find one that matches the recipient’s taste if possible. A cute cartoon wrapping paper printed with happy snowmen would be perfect for a child, for example, whereas a classy and understated shiny silver paper might be more appropriate for an adult.
You might need to buy several rolls (or sheets) depending on how many gifts you need to wrap. Plan ahead to make sure that you’ve got enough – especially if you’re wrapping larger gifts, or awkward shapes that might prove difficult to wrap.
Scissors
While regular household scissors will do in a pinch, we’d recommend using specialised craft scissors for best results. Look for ones that have a sharp point and can cut through layers of paper easily without tearing or leaving unsightly ragged edges behind. The last thing you need is for your blunt kitchen scissors to butcher your beautiful wrapping paper and ruin the look of the gift.
Tape
Plain, see-through sticky tape is fine, but did you know you can also get brightly-coloured festive tapes? Christmas tape is special festive tape which comes in a range of bright colours and designs, including Christmas trees and Santa Claus figures! Not only does it help your gift “pop” and stand out from the crowd, it’s also designed to adhere well to various surfaces, such as shiny wrapping paper and ribbons.
You might also consider picking up some double-sided sticky tape – perfect for securing embellishments onto the surface of the paper, such as bows, ribbons and gift tags. It also makes it easy to stick two pieces of wrapping paper together without leaving a bump.
Gift Tags
Gift tags aren’t essential, but they’re a simple yet effective way of further personalising your gift – as well as letting your recipient know who it’s from. This is ideal if you’re going to be exchanging gifts before Christmas day. You don’t want your recipient to forget who gave them which present!
You can buy pre-made gift tags, which come in a huge range of different styles and colours, or make your own using scrap wrapping paper. Write the tag using a metallic gold or silver pen for an extra festive touch.
Embellishments
Embellishing your gift is an easy way to take it up a notch and help it stand out from the crowd. Popular embellishments include shiny satin ribbons, bows, and stickers. But don’t be afraid to think outside the box if you’ve got a creative streak!
For example, if the gift is small enough, you could stick a fabric pom-pom on top to make it look like a snowman. You can even purchase Christmassy confetti (such as tiny snowflakes) to add underneath the wrapping paper, so that when the present is opened, your loved one is showered in a sparkly surprise.
Gift Boxes
This is completely optional, but popping your gift into a box before wrapping it will make the process so much easier – especially if the item in question is an awkward, difficult-to-wrap shape.
And if the whole wrapping process goes wrong and you fail miserably, you can always use brightly-coloured gift boxes instead of wrapping paper, saving you lots of time and effort!
Ruler or Tape Measure
Some wrapping paper comes already marked with lines or grids, but if yours doesn’t, having a ruler to hand is ideal. You’ll be able to measure out the correct length of paper before you cut, and avoid the unnecessary hassle of accidentally cutting it too short. You can also use a ruler to draw a line across the paper to help you cut it perfectly straight.
How Do I Wrap Christmas Presents Perfectly?
When wrapping Christmas presents, it’s important to keep in mind that your end goal is to present the gift looking as aesthetically pleasing and professional as possible. They say that when eating a meal “the first bite is with the eye” – in other words, presentation is very important – and the same goes for Christmas gifts. Handing your recipient a perfectly-wrapped present will create an excellent impression, no matter what’s inside the paper! Here are some present-wrapping tips.
1) Choose Your Wrapping Paper Carefully
Not all wrapping papers are equal, so it’s important that you don’t just grab the first paper you see. Take size for example. Single sheets of wrapping paper might not work for large or bulky gifts – rather than buying several sheets, you’ll save money buying a 4-metre roll and cutting it to size yourself.
Shiny (metallic) wrapping paper isn’t the easiest to fold, as it doesn’t hold its shape as well as matte paper, so it’s best for cylindrical objects like bottles and jars. And while glittery wrapping paper may look impressive, tape doesn’t always stick to it very well, so bear this in mind when making your choice.
2) Keep Extra Materials Handy
It’s good to keep a roll of inexpensive sticky tape handy for emergencies. If you run out of tape in the middle of wrapping your present, or if your pet cat runs off with roll, it’s good to know that you’ve got a backup.
Similarly, always buy more wrapping paper, ribbons and bows than you think you’ll need. Trust us on this. If you make a mistake and end up tearing the paper/ribbon or cutting it too short, you’ll thank past-you for buying extra.
3) Take Your Time
Don’t leave it until Christmas Eve before you start wrapping your gifts. If you’ve left it until the last minute, you’ll feel under pressure, which will stress you out – and you’ll be more likely to make mistakes with the wrapping. Wrapping presents perfectly requires a lot of time and patience, so start the process at least a few weeks before you’ll have to hand your presents over.
And don’t be tempted to rush your present-wrapping session. It can be tempting to plan to wrap Christmas presents over the course of one evening, in an hour or two. However, if you take your time and work carefully, your gift will look so much better. If you rush your wrapping, it will absolutely show in the final product – you’ll end up with lumps, bumps, gaps, or bits of tape sticking out all over the place.
4) Try and Try Again
It takes time to learn how to wrap Christmas presents perfectly every time. If you don’t get it right at first, don’t worry – keep practising and you’ll get there eventually.
The key is to study your past mistakes and learn from them. So, if there’s a gap or bump somewhere, try to figure out where you went wrong. For example, was the paper too loose or bunched up? Did you use too much tape?
Treat wrapping your Christmas presents as a relaxing, therapeutic activity. When you’re nervous or stressed out, it’s harder to wrap things neatly and evenly. Breathe deeply for a few minutes before you start, and you’ll find that the whole process becomes a lot less daunting!
5) Measure Twice, Cut Once
Make your life a little bit easier by using a ruler or tape measure to measure the exact length of wrapping paper, ribbon or strip of tape you need. Then, cut it with sharp craft scissors for perfect straight edges.
Remember: measure twice, cut once. Don’t be hasty or guesstimate how much paper you’ll need – that’s how you end up with gaps in the wrapping or extra paper that you have to cut off, and lots of wasted scraps.
6) Start on the Largest and Bulkiest Object First
When you have multiple presents to wrap, it’s easiest if you start with the largest one. Wrap that first, then work your way down in size to the smallest gift. This is easier because you’ll need more tape and paper for the larger present, so it’s less likely you’ll run out; you can always use scrap paper leftover from other rolls for smaller presents.
7) Buy Premade Bows
Rather than buying lengths of ribbon and attempting to fold it into a beautiful bow yourself, buy pre-made bows that you simply need to stick onto the gift with a bit of double-sided tape. Tying beautiful bows for presents isn’t as simple as tying your shoelaces, and it’s easy to get it wrong. Pre-made present bows aren’t too expensive, and you’ll save yourself lots of time getting frustrated as you try and tie them. They will look just as good, if not better, than tying a bow yourself.
8) Add Embellishments to Hide Imperfections
If you notice any gaps or bumps in your wrapping paper, simply add an embellishment to cover it up. This is a good option when you’ve over-wrapped your gift and used too much paper, or under-wrapped it, leaving a gap that you can see the present through. Add a bow, ribbon or strip of glittery Christmas tape to cover up the imperfection, and no one will ever know—at least before they open it, at which point it won’t matter!
9) Don’t Forget the Christmas Card!
Don’t forget to write your Christmas card, too! Omit this step at your peril, because it is horrendously embarrassing when you hand someone a wrapped gift with no card to go with it. Everybody loves getting a gift, but Christmas cards are a tradition for a reason. They look beautiful on the mantle, they help the recipient to remember who’s given them which gift, and they can be kept for years and looked back on fondly.
At Christmas Connections, we stock thousands of quality Christmas cards, all of which can be personalised with a custom greeting. Choose from contemporary or traditional designs – you could even find a card to perfectly match your wrapping paper for the ultimate coordinated gift experience! We also sell photo-upload Christmas cards, perfect for adding your own artwork or family portrait.
What’s more, we’ll make a donation to a charity of your choice for every card you buy – so you can give back. What’s not to love?
