Delightful Christmas Wrapping

As the holiday season approaches, people turn their thought to what gift might be suitable for a colleague, a neighbor, or someone special. Gifts can be purchased or made by hand, from the daintiest item to large ones, such as vehicles. Often the pleasure is not in receiving the gift, but also in the way that it is clothed. There are many ways to ensure that the present is encased in delightful Christmas wrapping.

Small presents can be disguised in larger containers. Jewelry, for example, could be wrapped in a multitude of boxes, each one progressively larger, until the last quite large box. Much entertainment can be found for both the giver and the recipient as the layers are removed one by one.

Another way of presenting a smaller gift is to place it in a slightly larger gift. For example, jewelry again might be given in a jewelry bag. These special bags can be purchased from retailers, or if the giver of the gift is crafty with their hands, a sewn bag could be created to encase the item. Knitted, crocheted, or beaded bags also make nice wrapping, as well as storage for the gift when it is not being worn.

A series of smaller gifts can be presented in a gift basket. Baskets are available from hobby shops, craft stores, and other outlets. Ready-made gift baskets can often be costly, and also impersonal. Hand-made baskets are economical, and can be personalized so that every item included is something desirable and useful to the recipient. A nice container, some decorative tissue, and a bit of ribbon are all that is needed to turn even the most mundane container into something festive.  Gift baskets don't have to be actual woven baskets, either. For example, a watering can might be filled with gardening items for someone who is green-fingered; a mixing bowl could be filled with all things culinary for a budding chef, or a sewing hamper be filled with haberdashery items for a keen seamstress.  A little imagination goes a long way to giving something that is different, useful and memorable.

There are many alternatives for people who are concerned about the environmental impact of wrapping paper. The gift basket idea mentioned above is one option, but there are others. Shops sell seasonal gift bags and boxes in all sizes and designs. If handled carefully, these can be stored and reused for several years. Delightful covers can be handmade, too. Plain brown paper can be stamped with seasonal rubber stamps. Raffia and jute to tie the parcel shut finish the theme. All of these items are biodegradable, making them not only environmentally friendly, but valuable and useful to the gardener.

Knitted and crocheted sheathes for wine bottles, CD's and other items are available in most shops. The prices vary from the mass-merchandised outlets, to elite boutiques. Patterns can also be found on the internet to make these items. Most don't take a lot of skill, and can be created in an evening or two.

Finally, there is a company called 'wrapsacks' who sell reusable gift sacks online at wrapsacks.com. Wrapsacks are incredibly fun, because not only do they supply environmentally friendly delightful Christmas wrapping, but each sack has a unique identification number. They are created to be re-gifted over and over again. The website has a 'track-a-sack' page where the sacks can be entered on their journey to the original recipient, and then tracked as they move from one person to another. It is interesting to see how people warm to this, and participate in the journey of the sack over the years.

Some presents simply can't be wrapped; a pony for a child, or a new car for a spouse, for example. A bit of creative thinking is needed in these instances. Perhaps the pony's halter can be wrapped, or the car keys included in a bucket that contains all car wash and wax products.

Buying the right Christmas present for the right person can be headache enough, without all of the worries as to how to package it. The gift is more important than the container fin which it comes, but it is desirable that both are appealing. It's not hard to do, though, and the above ideas will go a long way to providing truly delightful Christmas wrapping.