How to Wrap Perfect Presents A not-very-concise guide to the gift wrapping process By: Lydia Tallarini
A not-very-concise guide to the gift wrapping process
By: Lydia Tallarini
As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to start thinking about what to get people. After the grueling process in which you decide the monetary value of each friend or relative, there’s a final step: gift-wrapping.
Personally, I love the process. Picking out wrapping paper and ribbon, folding and taping and tying bows—it’s so much fun, more fun than giving or receiving a gift. But I know some people just want to be done after they’ve picked out a present, as this extra step can feel like a hassle amid the bustle of events and cooking. Wrapping a present is a chance to add a little bit of beauty and sparkle to life, and it’s not too hard once you know where to start.
The first step is picking out wrapping paper. Sometimes you don’t have much of a choice, like when you run out of time and can only rummage through the closet for paper left over from last year’s attempts or scavenged from gifts you’ve received. (Provided that you can unwrap neatly, it’s both economical and environmentally friendly to save old paper for your own wrapping adventures.) However, if you do have a choice, there are a few factors to consider:
Pattern. The size of the pattern and how fine it is can be surprisingly important. If you’re wrapping something small, a smaller print is probably better because it’ll look more cohesive and not overwhelm the shape. But with larger presents, any size pattern works, as the design is given enough space to repeat itself and provide aesthetic closure.
Thickness. This is something that’s easy to overlook, especially if you can only see the paper in rolls and can’t feel its weight. But thinner paper is usually easier to work with, even though more expensive paper tends to be thicker.
Color. This is more interesting when you’re pairing paper and ribbon, but it’s best to keep the end goal in mind. Having a plan is always good—imagine what the gift will look like before you start cutting, and choose colors that satisfy you (and hopefully the recipient). Also, picking complementary colors instead of trying to get an exact match earns you bonus points, in my book.
Once you have the paper picked out, it’s time to wrap. If you’re doing a complex shape, it might be a good idea to find a video to follow along with, but rectangular objects are rather straightforward. Since it’s really hard to describe where to fold in text, I’ll just end this section with a few tips:
Corners are important! Especially with thick paper, creases are rather permanent—even if you refold, the paper will retain evidence of any previous attempts. Unfortunately, there’s not much to be done about this, other than think before you fold.
Pattern, yet again. Particularly with stripes, simply changing the pattern’s orientation can make it look completely different.
And now it’s time for the most important part: ribbon! Ribbon is magical. It completes and elevates any present. Even things that are too hard to wrap need a ribbon, like in those Christmas car commercials (though I would suggest being a little more subtle). So if you can make a knot, ribbon is indispensable:
Tie your own ribbon! Those fancy, store-bought bows are overrated (and overpriced). They also limit you to just one area of ribbon instead of lines that intersect the pattern.
Choose wisely. Color, size, material, and texture can change how you use it. Bigger presents often look best with proportionally wider ribbons, and large, simple bows are usually a good choice for fabric ribbons.
For nylon craft ribbons, the “scissor trick” is always fun (and another thing better explained through video). If you’re going for an elegant look, make larger loops, and if your aim is to make it more fun than serious, lots of smaller loops will do the trick.
I love wrapping presents, and I hope you will come to feel the same. A well-wrapped present shows you spent time and effort, and that counts—even if the gift is just a pair of socks.