Wrapping drags on when it happens in short bursts on the bedroom floor with the scissors missing. Done in one sitting at a table with everything within reach, the presents for a whole family can be wrapped in a single evening.
What goes on the table
- One wide roll of paper. Plain kraft paper suits every person and every occasion. It can usually be recycled once tape and ribbon are removed (check your local rules), unlike foil and glitter papers.
- Tape. Double-sided tape gives invisible seams. A weighted dispenser lets you tear tape with one hand.
- Sharp scissors, used only for paper.
- Ribbon or twine in a few colors.
- Tags, already printed and cut.
- A hole punch and a pen.
- Tissue paper for soft or fragile things.
- A box for scraps. Offcuts wrap small presents later.
Use a table at standing height if you can. A kitchen counter is easier on your back.
One color per person
With plain paper, the ribbon carries the information. Give each person in the family a color, such as red for one child, green for another and white for the adults, and tie every one of their presents in it. On Christmas morning, even a child who can’t read knows which pile is theirs, and you can tell at a glance whether the piles are even.
The same idea works with tags. Choose one tag design or character per person and use it on all their gifts.
Print the tags first
Tags are easy to leave until last, and then they hold everything up. Print a sheet or two on card stock before you start, cut them out and punch the holes. Write the names on all of them from your gift list in one go. That also shows you what is still missing while there is time to fix it.
Round labels work as seals on tissue paper and on the backs of envelopes. Small note cards are useful for the presents that need a sentence of explanation.
Wrap in this order
- Boxes first. They are quick, and they build momentum.
- Soft things next. Roll clothing in tissue, then wrap it like a piece of candy, with both ends tied.
- Awkward shapes last. Put them in a box or a gift bag, or wrap them in fabric. Don’t fight the paper.
For a neat box, measure the paper so that it overlaps by about an inch (a few centimeters), crease every edge with your thumbnail, and fold the ends into triangles. Sharp creases do most of the work of making a present look tidy.
Awkward shapes
- Bottles: roll in paper, gather at the neck and tie.
- Stuffed animals: a paper bag, folded over at the top, punched twice and tied with ribbon.
- Very large items: hide them, and wrap a clue instead.
- Tiny items: an envelope sealed with a round label.
Involve the children
Children can stamp or draw on kraft paper before it is cut, stick on labels, and hold a finger on the knot. Decorating the paper themselves makes their presents for other people more personal, and it gives them something to do while you wrap. Keep the sharp scissors and long lengths of ribbon out of reach of small children.
Label and hide as you go
Tag every present the moment it is wrapped. An untagged package is a mystery by the next morning. Stack finished presents by person and move each stack to its hiding place before you start the next one.
Keep a wrap box for the rest of the year
When you finish, put the paper, tape, scissors, ribbon and spare tags in one lidded box. Birthdays become quick, and next December the station is already packed.
Shopping list
Check what you already have at home, then check things off as you go.
