Five Alternatives for Traditional Christmas Gift Wrapping

So who says you have to use gift bags or wrapping paper for all those Christmas gifts? The fact is there are several different ways to wrap presents and have a lot of fun in the process. Here are five examples of ways to use other types of materials and still make a great presentation.

Grocery Sacks

Remember those brown paper sacks they use at many grocery stores? Cut out the bottom and slit open one seam and you have a piece of wrapping paper that is sturdy and will work with quite a number of different size boxes. To adorn the package, grab some cedar or pine trimmings and maybe some mistletoe. If there are kids in the house, hand them some crayons or markers and let them design their own wrapping paper. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives will love it and your kids will have a great time too.

Aluminum Foil

Those of us who grew up in the groovy Sixties will remember this trick. Shiny aluminum foil makes great wrapping paper that can be jazzed up with all sorts of ribbon. A bonus is that the foil bends to conform to the contours of the box with ease, making it possible to create crisp lines.

Textiles

Ever thought about using tea towels, hand towels or even a tablecloth as the gift wrap? This approach effectively makes it possible to wrap a gift with a gift. Simply wrap the material around the box and secure in place with ribbon.

Funny Papers

Those comic strips from the Sunday newspaper make for colorful gift wrap. You've already paid for the paper, so why not put it to good use? Even these days as the sheets are smaller than in years past, they are still big enough to wrap something up to the size of a standard shirt box.

Magazines

Tear pages out of an old magazine for a fun gift wrapping approach. You can even try matching the subject matter of the pages with the gift. Pages from a cooking magazine are great when giving cooking utensils or appliances, and a page or two from a sports magazine are ideal when gifting a loved one with season tickets or a shirt bearing the logo of his or her favorite team.

Why spend money on expensive wrapping paper that is going to end up in the trash anyway? Use some of the things already around the house and you not only come up with a presentation that is a fun alternative, but also easier on the environment. Look around your house today; you may come up with some other gift wrapping ideas that are quirky and a lot of fun.