Wrapping presents has always been my safe-haven during the holidays. It’s a little piece of time that I carve out of my busy schedule to sit on my living room floor, with the sound of Christmas music in the background, and admire my good taste in presents.
If you feel the opposite way about gift wrap, then let me walk you through a simple process to get it over with:
Step 1
If you are buying baby presents for someone, go to Buy Buy Baby. Their items are no more expensive than Target, and they usually have coupons. Plus, they wrap gifts for you! No mess. No buying rolls and rolls of over-priced paper. It’s that simple. I’m sure the associates would also assist if you’re riding the struggle bus that particular day.
Step 2
If you don’t have any expecting mothers or little ones to buy for this season, go ahead and purchase a roll or two of your favorite wrapping paper. Saving money by getting the cheaper paper may seem efficient, but the paper might tear easily and you to use more of it.
Step 3
Find ample space of floor or tabletop that is comfortable for you to use as a workstation. Mine is the living floor. My mom prefers her large bed. And my grandmother always roped off the kitchen and displayed her elegant paper all over the place (and not on purpose, I should add).
Step 4
Take a break. You’ve gotten pretty far already, and nothing defeats holiday cheer more than overworking yourself.
Step 5
Reluctantly move from whatever relaxed position you’re in, to your workspace. It’s okay, though, because we are about to make wrapping go by quickly.
Step 6
Unravel one of the pieces of wrapping paper for a few in inches. Then place the item to be wrapped on top of the bottom of the paper (the white or light-colored side that sometimes has dotted lines). Take the open end of the wrapping paper and cover half of the item. Then, bring the roll over the item, being sure only to overlap a little. Make sure to mark where the roll overlaps so that you can cut evenly.
Step 7
Cut the place you previously marked, all the way across the paper.
Step 8
Move the roll to the side and start focusing on your present
Step 9
Fold one end of the length of the wrapping paper under 1 inch. When the two sides of the length overlap on top of the present, one side will be folded under to form a sleek line instead of jagged scissor lines.
Step 10
Tape the length of the wrapping paper (but don’t tape the excess that goes over the edges of the present. We need those to be flexible).
Step 11
You can turn the present to where the width of it is directly in front of you. The length should be horizontal right now. You have two options now: be fancy or done.
To get it over with, all you need to do is lay the top part of the wrapping paper down against the side of the present. Then bring the bottom half up and over the top half. There should be a line in the center where the two parts of the paper meet. Tape them together. And you’re done!
Follow the remaining steps for a nicer looking package.
Step 12
Tuck the sides of the paper in towards the center, creating a triangle figure with the top piece of paper.
Step 13
The bottom should have pulled up some in response to tucking the top half. Fold the top of the bottom paper over about an inch, then lay this paper across the top half. You may have to wrestle with the tape a little bit to get it to lay flat.
Step 14
Repeat steps 11-13 on the opposite side of the present. Then, add a premade tag with who it is to, and who it is from, to the top left-hand corner of the present. Leave enough space for a bow!
I hope these steps made enough sense for you not to get frustrated with wrapping presents this year. The Christmas music also helps. Comment down below if you have any wrapping tips of your own, or if you have a favorite Christmas song!
Here is a link to a more detailed list of present wrapping tips:
