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!
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!!
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.
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.
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}.
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!
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!
Here’s another present from a few years back that I wrapped the same way but with braided twine:
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:
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!
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!
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}):
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.
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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:
Happy wrapping!
Angie Morgan says
Thanks for all the great ideas! My favorite Christmas tradition is the family getting together to make Christmas cookies. Mom makes and rolls outs butter cookies for all the kid to decorate. There’s such a huge mess at the end but lots of proud smiles as they show their cookies off. It wouldn’t be the same without that every year. Thanks for the giveaway chance – so awesome!
Crystal Craig says
Thank you for posting the beautifully wrapped presents. I tend to run out of ideas for wrapping presents. With seven grandchildren and many other family members and friends, we certainly do a lot of wrapping! Our family (grown with children) enjoys opening gifts at our house on Christmas Eve morning and have brunch, that way, they have the evening free to spend with their other grandparents , go to Church and can open gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. We all gather at our house again on Christmas evening to share a meal with extended family. Merry Christmas and happy Holidays to you and yours!
Rachel says
Love your gift wrapping ideas. We love to chill at home and watch Christmas movies.
Rhonda says
Our traditions are evolving since the children are getting older. Our day starts a little later now, but we still have the traditional brunch and then open presents. We still love spending time together!
Jennifer says
I love all of your ideas Kris! Thanks for all of the gorgeous closeups! That gift bag is so pretty! Great post!!!
Kathy Cordova says
Love this post! So creative! One of our favorite traditions is giving pajamas and opening them on Christmas Eve so everyone is in new jammies on Christmas morning.
Jeanne says
Your tree is just beautiful. Would love to know how you made the ribbon weave in and out of the tree. Your “do-able” suggests for decorating gifts is gorgeous. Thanks for the ideas!
Michelle says
Christmas cookies…trying a new kind each year!
Samantha says
Kris – these wraps are spectacular!! Your creative embellishments are simple, but take that gift from OK to a whole new level!! Thank you for sharing!! My favorite Christmas tradition is christmas stockings, Most families “do” stockings, but – my husband & I always snuck in to our children’s bedrooms late Christmas Eve night & left the stocking next to or on the foot of their bed. That way, they could open the stocking as soon as they woke up in the morning, & hopefully (most of the time), the waking of US parents (& their siblings) would be delayed just a little while!! YAY for extra sleep!! In addition, now that our children are all grown & 1 has two children of his own, we still do stockings! We decided that Christmas is really for the children, but I continue to fill stockings for my grown kids! I gather small gifts all year, & include a pertinent magazine & gift card – spending between $50 – $75 on each stocking. I even ship the filled stockings to the out-of-town children (& their spouses). It is something they love, & it keeps us connected at Christmas, even when we cannot be together!
Shelly Mathes says
All of this goodness with all of this wrapping and adornments, just lovely. So many great ideas! Thanks
JaLea Corte says
quick question.
i have never been a fan of using ribbon trees -thought it looked really stupid but i do like the way you have done yours. did you drape it or did you cut small pieces and make it look like bows poking their heads out?
I do like your gray/silver shades on the tree. very classy.
Angie T. says
Just beautiful and so clever….you’re ideas are always so good!!! My favorite tradition is going to church on Christmas Eve and singing Silent Night with only candlelight! It’s so beautiful and definitely puts me in the Christmas spirit. Angie T.
Sara says
There’s a reason yours is my favorite blog, and this post is it… So much inspiration! My favorite tradition is driving to my sister’s on Christmas eve ‘the back way’ through the woods on a trail. We take my four-wheel drive and it is the most beautiful snowy wonderland.
Rosa Garrett says
Kris, your packages are beautiful! Each Christmas eve, our church has communion set up all day. We go as a family before going to my mother’s for gift opening and snacks. I would love to win the gift card. Thanks so much for the chance.
Jodi Borsa says
I also love to wrap gifts! You gave me a ton of ideas on how to change things up in the gift wrapping dept. 😉 I really like the idea of using a chalk pen on the gifts. Thanks so much for this post!
sherrie hodgins says
Hanukkah starts early this year – December 12 so my gifts are all purchased, wrapped, shipped or hidden away already! I could sure use some storage containers for post holiday clean-up! Thanks for your helpful and beautiful posts!