• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Home Tour
    • Master Bathroom
    • Kitchen
    • Kitchen Eat-In Area
    • Family Room
    • Living Room
    • Home Office
    • Laundry Room
    • Master Bedroom
    • Craft Room
    • Dining Room
    • Garage
    • Guest Room
    • Guest Bathroom
    • Patio
    • Powder Room
    • Teen Blue & White Bedroom
    • Teen Boho Chic Bedroom
  • Projects
    • Room Remodels
    • DIY Projects
    • Decorating Tips
    • Cleaning
    • Organizing
  • Subscribe
  • Shop My Faves
  • Instagram
  • About
    • Contact
    • Meet Kris
    • FAQs
    • Media
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy

Driven by Decor logo

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Home Tour
    • Master Bathroom
    • Kitchen
    • Kitchen Eat-In Area
    • Family Room
    • Living Room
    • Home Office
    • Laundry Room
    • Master Bedroom
    • Craft Room
    • Dining Room
    • Garage
    • Guest Room
    • Guest Bathroom
    • Patio
    • Powder Room
    • Teen Blue & White Bedroom
    • Teen Boho Chic Bedroom
  • Projects
    • Room Remodels
    • DIY Projects
    • Decorating Tips
    • Cleaning
    • Organizing
  • Subscribe
  • Shop My Faves
  • Instagram
  • About
    • Contact
    • Meet Kris
    • FAQs
    • Media
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Updated: Dec 23, 2023 by Kris Jarrett

    Wrapping Christmas Presents: 10 Ideas To Take Your Presents to the Next Level!

    I’m sharing ten tips for wrapping Christmas presents that are a major upgrade from slapping a simple sticky bow on the top (and they’re super easy to do too!)

    One of my favorite things to do around the holidays is to sit down with loads of beautiful wrapping paper, tags, and ribbon and wrap presents while watching cheesy Christmas movies. I’ve loved wrapping Christmas presents ever since I was a kid and when I was in high school I even had a little business going where busy families paid me to wrap all of their holiday gifts!

    I was always surprised by how blown away my “clients” were when they saw their wrapped gifts. In my mind, I wasn’t doing anything special and certainly nothing difficult, but I realized it was the little extra touches that they might not have thought to do themselves that left such an impression.

    Today I’m sharing ten tips for wrapping Christmas presents that will take an ordinary present to “next level” status.  (post includes affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here})

    1. Use a Chalk Marker Pen!

    For darker colored gift wrap, white chalk marker pens (such as {these}) are great for writing messages on your packages or even just for writing who the present is “to” and “from” without the need for a gift tag. They’re simple to use (they work just like paint pens) and definitely add a little something special.

    I often pull up one of my favorite fonts and write my message on my laptop and then reference that when writing it out on the present but using your everyday handwriting is just fine too!

    Write messages on your presents with a chalk pen! One of the easy Christmas gift wrapping ideas I love in this post!

    2. Add a Pre-Made Bow or Embellishment

    This idea is perfect for wrapping Christmas presents if you don’t want to mess with ribbon. Simply choose a gorgeous paper and place a pre-made bow or other little “extra” on top! With this gift on the left, I added a premade curly bow – simple and quick but also beautiful!!

    Adding a beautiful premade bow or other extra to the top of your gift is a simple way to create a beautifully wrapped gift!

    3. Stack ‘Em!

    There’s something about stacked gifts that makes them irresistible!  Simply wrap two presents (one slightly bigger than the other) in the same gift wrap and tie them together with ribbon, leaving long, cascading tails. Wire-edged ribbon like {this white ribbon} works best because it’s easy to add those pretty waves to the tails.

    Stack two presents together and tie them with a cascading bow! One of the great easy gift wrapping ideas in this post!

    4. Layer Your Ribbon

    This is one of my favorite ideas for wrapping Christmas presents! Layering a thinner ribbon over a different colored thicker ribbon makes presents look luxurious! I usually choose two colors that are both found in the gift wrap so that everything coordinates. For this gift, I used a thinner gold metallic mesh ribbon layered on {a 1 ½″ black satin wire ribbon} along with a cute jingle bell wreath tie-on.

    Love this idea of layering two ribbons to add a luxurious look to your gift! One of many easy gift wrapping ideas for Christmas presents in this post!

    5. Clip It On!

    An easy way to add embellishments and tags is to simply clip them on with a mini clothespin and as a bonus, it’s super cute and makes your present unique! For this present I clipped on one a metallic gift tag and a cute glitter snowflake with a plain mini clothespin like {these}.

    Love how this present's tag is clipped on with a mini clothespin! One of the many easy gift wrapping ideas I loved in this post!

    6. Add a Treat!

    Adding a little sweet treat is one of my favorite ways to make a wrapped present special, especially for kids. You can simply tie a candy bar or other sweets on top with ribbon or buy an embellishment like this mini stocking and tuck your treat inside. Just be mindful of pets and don’t leave gifts with chocolate or other food anywhere that they can get to them!

    Adding a sweet treat to your present is a super cute idea for Christmas gifts! Lots of other easy gift wrapping ideas in this post!

    7. Tie It Twice

    This is one of my favorite tricks for wrapping Christmas presents when you’re working with rectangular/narrow packages. Instead of your typical bow, simply wrap two lengths of ribbon or decorative cording around your present lengthwise and then tie both pieces in knots with the first knotted piece a little higher up than the second.

    For my gift, I used a wood grain glitter wrap with a sheer gold ribbon like {this}, and a glitter snowflake gift tag – such a simple Christmas present wrapping idea but so beautiful!

    Tying two strips of ribbon with knots side by side is a cute and easy way to dress up your presents! Love this and all of the other easy gift wrapping ideas in this post!

    Here’s another present from a few years back that I wrapped the same way but with braided twine:

    Use thin ribbon or cord to tie lengthwise across package - a simple idea for wrapping for Christmas

    8. Use Your Gift Wrap Scraps

    This is the perfect way to keep the scraps of your favorite gift wrap from going to waste! Wrap your present in plain kraft paper and then take a long scrap of wrapping paper, fold it along both sides to give it clean, straight edges, and wrap it around the length of your present. Then simply tie a bow on top to hold it all together:

    Love this idea for using a piece of scrap gift wrap! Lots of easy Christmas present wrapping ideas in this post!
    Use leftover wrapping paper scraps and ribbon to dress up a plain kraft paper present!

    9. Use What’s Outside

    Adding natural elements from your own backyard is another favorite idea for wrapping Christmas presents. It can be as simple as tying on a few sprigs of greenery clipped from your yard. Or if you want to spend a few more minutes, hot glue gun 2-3 small pine cones to the ends of ribbon and tie them on!

    Love the idea of using pinecones or greenery from your yard to dress up Christmas presents! One of lots of great easy Christmas gift wrapping ideas in this post!

    10. Throw It In A Bag or Box!

    There’s no shame in using a gift bag, especially when it’s a super pretty one! Using tissue paper that has a decorative edge such as {this scalloped edge tissue paper} takes it to the next level!

    Adding tissue paper with a decorative edge to your gift bag takes it to the next level! Love all of the easy gift wrapping ideas in this post!

    Or you can buy pretty gift boxes that don’t require any wrapping such as these white and gold scalloped edge beauties (I got these a few years back from Target – they have beautiful new designs every Christmas – check them out {here}):

    Gold and white scalloped gift boxes tied with satin ribbon are a simple, beautiful way to wrap Christmas presents!

    I try to wrap as I go throughout the holiday season so I have pretty presents to put under our tree and sprinkle around our home too.

    Want to save this post?

    We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

    Where to Buy Gorgeous Gift Wrapping Supplies

    My four favorite sources for gift wrap, ribbon, and boxes are (1) The Container Store – every year they have a Gift Wrap Wonderland section that has gorgeous wrapping paper and ribbon options along with lots of fun little embellishments. The only downside? It’s pricey!

    I also find a lot of great supplies at (2) Target – especially online where they have better selection than in the store. My favorite things to buy at Target are their beautiful decorative boxes from Sugar Paper – you can see their current offerings {here}.

    I also find lots of great wrapping paper and ribbon online at (3) Amazon. A few current favorites are {these plaid wrapping papers} and {these darling kraft papers}. They have a huge selection of ribbon too! And last but not least I’ve found some of the cutest papers at (4) Minted – you can see their current holiday gift wrap options {here}.

    I hope you all picked up a new trick or two to use while wrapping Chrismtas presents this year! When you’re buying your gift wrap, ribbons, and other supplies this season keep in mind that…

    • Wire-edged ribbon works best for making bows because you can shape it to make your bows full and the tails wavy.
    • If you’re using glitter paper like {this gold glitter wrap} I used, regular tape won’t hold well. In the past I’ve always used my hot glue gun to stick down the ends of glitter paper but for the first time this year I tried {this double sided clear super tape} and it works really well too! So if you get glitter papers like one of the three that I used, be sure to have a glue gun or super tape on hand.
    • If you wrap your presents early, you can use your presents to decorate your home for the holidays! Along with putting them under the tree, you can stack pretty presents on shelves, use them as coffee table decor, few small presents sticking out of the stockings hanging from your fireplace mantel, or even stack a few in a chair or two:
    So many Christmas wrapping ideas I love in this post!!

    Happy wrapping!

    • Share
    • Email

    ✉️FREE EMAIL SERIES ✉️

    5 Secrets to Reinventing Your Home on a Budget

    Simple tips to instantly transform five rooms in your home!

    Primary Sidebar

    ✉️FREE EMAIL SERIES ✉️

    5 Secrets to Reinventing Your Home on a Budget

    Simple tips to instantly transform five rooms in your home!

    Meet Kris

    Photo of Kris Jarrett

    Follow Me

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    All images on DBD are copyrighted and taken by me unless otherwise noted. If you'd like to use any of my images, please request their use via my Contact page.

    I am a participant in several affiliate advertising programs (including the Amazon Associates program) and earn fees from qualifying purchases. For more information, see my full disclosure statement {here}.

    To view my privacy policy, go {here}.

    Copyright © 2025 · Driven by Decor