The 411 On Holiday Gift Wrapping: How To Wrap Like A Pro
Holiday gift wrapping can be quite a pain. It can be frustrating, it can be unsatisfactory, and, overall, it can be an unpleasant time for the wrapper. Learn how to gift wrap like pro with these helpful holiday tips so you can look forward to a pleasant season!
1. Gather Necessary Tools
First and foremost, before doing any serious gift wrapping, the wrapper must always have his handy tools and equipment ready to start! Can’t exactly wrap anything without them, obviously.
You’ll need the following: scissors, clear tape, wrapping paper, and gift wrap tags! It seems easy enough! …But you want to wrap like a pro, here, remember?
Buy tools that are specifically designed for gift wrapping. So, to save on time and energy, look to instead buy a Rotary Cutter and a Scotch Handband Dispenser. Even the Wrap Buddies Paper Holder will come into handy for this occasion!
2. Don’t Show The Price
This tip seems like a given, but there are plenty of those who forget this very simple rule of holiday gift wrapping: Don’t show the price! A gift is only a gift so long as the receiving party is not reminded of a debt. Showing just how much something you got for them was only seeks to remind them that money is the root of all evil in our capitalist-driven societ-
Or, well, it’s just not in very good courtesy. You don’t want to remind someone that their gift had a cost… or you’re trying to hide the fact that it was much cheaper/expensive than it actually was. Sometimes you dig through the used/return section and you find what someone else was looking for! No shame in that.
3. Measure Your Wrapping Paper
When doing holiday gift wrapping, always measure correctly just how much wrapping paper would be appropriate. The measurement must always be even, never too long and never too short.
To find out how you can properly measure your gift, all you need to do is use a ribbon or tape measure to find the width/girth of your item and apply an extra 2 inches of wrapping paper. Allow an overlap that is equal to the gift’s height and then from there just trim off the excess paper!
4. Wrap Upside Down
Now comes actually wrapping your gift. To start off, lay a sheet of your measured wrapping paper facedown on a flat and hard surface. Then, take your present and turn it facedown on top of the laid out wrapping paper. From there, move on to the next step!
To make one’s gift wrapping look nice and presentable, one has to start with the bottom, first. The top needs to show off a smooth and clean presentation, especially when you’re going to inevitably add the bow and gift tags.
Finish off this step by pulling the wrapping paper from underneath the gift and covering it all the way over the gift’s top side. Since your gift is upside down, “top side” in this case means its bottom side that remains wrapless.
5. Bring To Top
Once you’ve secured the wrapping paper underneath your gift, pull that wrapping paper so that both ends cover two opposite sides of the gift. Then, after that, the two ends will have to meet at the wrap-less top of your gift.
They will meet halfway through the middle, kind of like two lovers converging together for the first time (Is this not the appropriate time to dish out a metaphor? No? Okay.)
You’ll want to secure these two sides meeting at the halfway point by applying some clear tape. Though be cautioned, only apply as needed, don’t go overdoing the tape. It’ll make it look cobbled and not at all something a pro would have made.
6. Sides And Edges
The sides and edges are probably the most difficult part about holiday gift wrapping most people face and also probably the reason you’re reading this article!
Beginning on one side, crease down the top fold into the side of your present. This makes two wings along the edge that you can just flatten against the present. At this point, all you’re left with is a triangle of paper you will then fold against the present.
7. Secure With Tape
The amount of tape you will use varies for each person but, generally speaking, you’ll want to apply a liberal amount that doesn’t conflict with the wrapping design. The point of tape is to keep everything, from the gift to the wrapping paper, in place and to hold it still.
For some good ideas on where to place some tape, try the center of your gift on top of your wrapping paper. That way, when measuring and cutting, it’ll be easier to hold the present steady.
When opposite sides of wrapping paper both meet halfway across the top of your gift, that should be the perfect spot to place some hard tape on. But, remember, the tape can only be used so much before it makes your wrapping efforts looks shoddy and cobbled together!
8. Decorative Accessories
Lastly, to finish off your hard work as a gift wrapping pro, throw in some decorative accessories that are necessary or help add to the aesthetic of your presentation. Bows, for example, are a classic and enticing accessory that is not needed at all but helps give your present a nice shape.
Gift tags or label stickers are important, though. That’s just Holiday Gift Wrapping 101. The intended receiver needs to see their name and that of the person who gave it to them on the gift somehow. And writing over the wrapping with pen or marker does not count as a pro move!
A gift tag helps solidify the bond between two people and tells the receiver their gift-giver gave a lot of attention to detail with it!
