ListPlanIt

A few years ago, on Christmas morning, I looked around and saw mountains of paper that had been ripped off the packages and were now useless and destined for the trash heap.  I started thinking that if this is what my house looks like, it is probably what my neighbor’s house looks like.  It is probably what most houses in my town looks like.  It is probably what most homes across America and many other places in the world look like.  That is a lot of trash!  And frankly, it is a lot of waste.

I began to consider other ways that I could wrap my children’s gifts and make them special.  I wanted to wrap them in methods that could be repurposed or recycled when after Christmas morning.  I’ll admit, that my personality tends toward very functional items.  Aesthetics are not my thing.  Our packages under the tree rarely have bows or bobbles.  The important thing for me is the element of surprise.  Here is a list of items that I now use to stock my gift wrapping center and some other ideas from people around the web.

• Fabric
  Fabric comes in such colorful Christmas patterns and can be used to wrap around a box or a gift as well as paper.  Use sturdy tape to tape down the sides.  Or lay out a piece of fabric with the present in the middle and gather the fabric up and tie it with a ribbon or piece of yarn.
• Gift Bags
  These come in a variety of sizes and materials.  We have some gift bags made of heavy paper, plastic (these are for large items such as sleds or bicycles), felt, and fabric.  They almost always have strings for carrying or for cinching the top.  They look pretty under the tree and can be folded up, nice and neat when the gifts have been opened.

• Gift Boxes
  The photo above is our own family Christmas tree.  I have gift boxes that I place under the tree until Christmas Eve, when we replace them with our real Christmas presents.  Sometimes these are just for decoration, and sometimes I then use them for gifts.  The best part about these sturdy boxes is that they can be used for years to come!  We also use colorful, collapsible shirt boxes for our Christmas present, as well.
• Tins
  Have you ever received a tin filled with popcorn?  Do you get a tin from a neighbor full of homemade Christmas cookies?  Why not use them for packaging CDs or gift cards or jewelry or socks?
• Newspaper or Recycled Paper
  Put your daily paper to good use when you’re finished with it.  Use it to wrap up a Christmas present or two.  The comic section makes a particularly fun page to use for wrapping.  Do you choose paper bags at the grocery store when you forget to bring your reusable bags?  A neat cut down the side of the bag makes a great paper for stamping with homemade potato stamps or Christmas stamps and then as a wrapping for Grandma and Grandpa or Aunt and Uncle.  Is your child a budding artist and you have been unsure what to do with all of his/her artwork?  Tape them together and use them to wrap a special gift. . .instant decoration!

How do you wrap your presents for Christmas?