Holiday Tip #8 - Gift Wrapping

I LOVE giving gifts. I LOVE opening gifts. I DISLIKE wrapping gifts.

As I begin my gift-wrapping this holiday season, I find myself struggling with the task. There are so many aspects about Christmas and gift giving that I love but wrapping gifts is not enjoyable to me, which leads to procrastination. My procrastination wrapping gifts usually means that my hubby ends up forced to help me complete the task late into the night on Christmas Eve. As with all things in my life, if I struggle with something I find an amicable solution.

Below are my solutions to make gift-wrapping tolerable (enjoyable):

Purchase ribbon, several colors, by the spool in the sale bins. Recently I was able to buy some ribbon at a local craft store at 60% off the regular price. Tying a gift with a bow on top always makes it look more festive and fun!J

Organize your wrapping needs.  Use a storage container, such as a shoebox, to have everything needed in once place. Your shoebox could include; scissors, several roles of tape, name tags, pens, and ribbon. Be sure that all wrapping paper and gift bags are also gathered and stored together.

Be sure to write the name of the recipient once you have finished wrapping your gift to eliminate confusion later.  Believe me; it is a bit embarrassing to have the wrong gift given to the unintended person.

Do you wrap gifts for more than one child? Many years ago, I found a great shortcut to my gift-wrapping dislike and started purchasing a different design of wrapping paper for each child. Christmas morning became super easy when the kids figured out which design covered their gifts. It was also fun to choose the paper design that best fit the personality of each child.

Lastly, once the gifts are opened, recycle your wrapping paper. In our area you cannot recycle most of the foil-type wrapping paper, so be sure to check with your disposal company ahead of time.

By the way, I am way ahead of the gift- wrapping this year and honestly believe I will not be up late Christmas Eve wrapping gifts (hip-hip-hooray!). I cannot wait to watch the grandchildren and their delightful joy opening gifts, worth every minute of gift-wrapping. Joy to the world! ~ Sheryl