Another holiday season is here, which means it's time to decorate, party plan, and make a list of gifts to buy. After you finish shopping, the dreaded task will be upon you: wrapping your gifts. Do you need gift wrapping ideas? While you can certainly wrap in a basic fashion — you know, with store-bought gift wrap and tape, or even easier, a bag with tissue paper — there are ways to elevate your wrap job if you want to make the giving extra special. Or, if you don't know how to wrap gifts, there are some simple tips and tricks to learn that we can help with.
If you're doing all of the wrapping this year, you'll need a plan. Which gifts don't need fancy wrap jobs (like the ones for kids who will rip them open so fast, they won't even appreciate the wrapping)? And which gifts are going to someone special who would love to see a thoughtful work of art before even discovering what's inside? Then, there are gifts that are not easily wrappable because they don't come in a perfectly rectangular box. What's a gifter to do?!
Don't stress, because we've rounded up the coolest gift wrapping ideas. They range from easy to super-special and more involved. If you don't already have the skills, you will soon thanks to the easy-to-follow tutorials and shoppable products below. So go ahead and heat up the hot chocolate, then make a day of gift wrapping and Christmas crafts with the kids for a family-friendly winter activity.
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Pretty In (Millennial) Pink
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Printable Holiday Stickers
A color printer and sticker paper sheets are all you'll need to DIY these adorable holiday stickers, thanks to the free printable template. Stick them on plain or patterned gift paper for a delightful pop of Christmas cheer.
Get the Printable Holiday Stickers Printable at A Kailo Chic Life.
SHOP STICKER PAPER
Give a nod to the man with the bag by transforming your gift boxes into a Santa suit.
Get the Santa Belly tutorial at Frog Prince Paperie.
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Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Wrapping Paper
For a rustic yet elegant presentation, add natural Christmas elements like rosemary, eucalyptus, or cedar to your wrapping. A little goes a long way with things you can find in your backyard.
Get the Rustic Touch tutorial at A Piece of Rainbow.
Give your gifts in a DIY bag this year. Using our templates as a guide, trace and cut out paper legs, shoes, belt, beard, and collar from card stock and scrapbook papers. Use a glue stick to attach the paper elements to gift bag and let dry. Then, use hot glue to attach the buttons and let dry.
Get the Santa and Elf Gift Sack templates.
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Folded Paper and Plant Decor
Make intricate details out of plain brown paper by creating folds and sticking greenery inside the gaps. Then, add tiny Christmas stickers on top.
Get the Folded Paper and Plant Decor tutorial at Kate's Creative Space.
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Christmas Light Wrapping Paper
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TrendCustomDesign
Custom Santa Sack
One way to quickly elevate a simple bow is to add an ornament on top. A wreath ornament works well, like this one used by Randi Garrett Design. The possibilities for getting creative with this are truly endless.
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Christmas Tree Yarn Gift Topper
Jazz up a rectangular shaped box wrapped in kraft paper with some green and red yarn. Take a strand of green yarn and put a dot of hot glue on the top center of the box and stick the start of the yarn down. Make another dot of hot glue on the bottom right corner and continue the string of yarn down and stick the yarn down and cut. Repeat until the yarn makes a tree shape and is as full as you would like. Then cut out a length of red yarn and feed it through the green strands to look like a garland.
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Spice up traditional white tissue paper with this festive stamp idea to bring some extra cheer to your friend or loved one.
Get the Stamped Tissue Paper tutorial at Crafting Chicks.
Dig out that half-used pack of letter stickers from your kid's last school project and spell out a holiday phrase on the gift box.
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Instead of some simple paper and bows, make the wrapping paper interactive by taping 3D objects like crayons, candy, or, in this example, designing the paper like a street and attaching a real plastic car to it.
Get the 3D Gift Wrap tutorial at Lines Across.
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Wrappily
Warhol Santa by Allport Editions
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Fa La La Felt Ornaments
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Dog Bone Gift Wrapping
Great for giving multiple gifts to someone, go big with this snowman, made out of three different wrapped boxes. Complete the gift with all the accessories a snowman should have.
Get the Cardboard Box Snowman tutorial at Smart School House.
SHOP WRAPPING PAPER
Use plain brown paper, festive tape, and red pompoms to create this adorable reindeer. The kids will just love it!
Get the Reindeer Gift Wrap tutorial at Kids Craft Room.
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Holly Jolly Reindeer Prints
This adorable wrapping is so easy to create — dip your fingers into different colored paints and stamp them on paper before adding pompoms as noses. Draw some antlers and you'll have yourself these cute reindeer prints!
Get the Holly Jolly Reindeer Prints tutorial at Splash of Something.
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Candy Cane Yarn Gift Toppers
This yarn candy cane is super simple to make. Twist strands of red and white yarn together to make a swirl effect. Then make a small line of hot glue in a candy cane shape and press the twisted yarn down to stick.
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WesGen
Plastic Wrapping Bags (Pack of 4)
Spruce up some ribbon by attaching fake berries and holly. It's a little way to make a gift a lot more festive.
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Homemade Christmas Light Paper
You can use a hot glue gun to attach buttons onto gift tags for an extra element to your presents. Consider buttons in traditional Christmas colors, or get creative with a rainbow palette.
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Who needs a boring brown bag when you can give it some texture? Simply cut strips of tissue paper, fringe one side with scissors, layer them, then stick to bag with a hot glue gun. It's even prettier when using colored paper!
Get the Tissue Paper Fringe tutorial at The Proper Blog.
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Is your tinsel from last year in rough shape? Give it a second life as an eye-catching present topper.
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Place Christmas stickers onto plain gift tags to give your presents a little extra pizazz.
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Learning how to tie a perfect bow around a box is harder than you might think. Luckily, there are tutorials that will teach you exactly how to add the perfect Tiffany-esque bow to any present.
Get the Tiffany Bow tutorial from Lia Griffith.
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Christmas Tree Trimmings
Need to add something extra to your present? Why not take advantage of the Christmas tree trimmings you have nearby? It's totally free, and eco-friendly, too.
Get the Christmas Tree Trimmings tutorial from Love Create Celebrate.
Thick, elaborate ribbon can be expensive! Instead, use a festive fabric. Any type will work here, whether it's an old tablecloth or dad's old tie. You can sometimes find some great fabric on sale at a craft store.
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Cupcake liners make for great present toppers in a pinch — and chances are you have some laying around your pantry. If not, you can get a lot for very little money
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Who knew colored labeling dots could look so charming? They're removable too, so you can't really mess up a polka-dot print. This idea can even be used beyond the holidays.
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A modern take on traditional holiday gift wrapping, these gift ideas are made using glittery adhesive tape, a silver pen, and baker's twine.
Get the Glitz and Glam tutorial at Gold Standard Workshop.
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Reindeer Wrapping Paper
These adorable watercolor tags will add a special touch to your gift, and they're easy to make.
Get the Watercolor Gift Tags tutorial at Two Purple Couches.
This easy gift wrapping idea cannot get any simpler! Even the kids can help with this potato stamped paper.
Get the Potato Stamping tutorial at Fresh Mommy Blog.
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Star Garland Gift Wrap
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Rhinestone Embellishment
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Soft and Sweet Gift Wrap
With a little imagination and some glue in hand, you can craft strings of yarn into a masterpiece — and it's oh-so simple.
Get the Yarn Bomb tutorial at Crafty For Home.
Make use of your old clothing — like a red bow tie — by adding festive pieces to basic gift wrap.
Get the Old Clothes Gift Wrap tutorial at C.R.A.F.T.
Cut and sew together canvas drop cloth, stenciling "joy" on top with red paint. After placing your present inside, finish the gift with extra holiday decor like bells on top.
Get the Printed Cloth tutorial at The Idea Room.
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Washi Tape Christmas Tree
All it takes to create this cute tree gift wrap is Washi tape in red and green patterns. Start long and tear smaller pieces until you get your desired size tree.
Get the Washi Tape Christmas Tree tutorial at The Crafty Blog Stalker.
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Create your own Christmas "shirt" with plaid ribbon down the center of red paper. Then, use white paper to create the collar and buttons. Add a bow for the finishing touch.
Get the Buttoned Up Shirt tutorial at Ballard Designs.
Hot glue mixed buttons and ribbons onto the top of wrapped presents for a cute personalized touch. You can spruce them by using patterned paper and unique buttons and ribbon in contrasting colors.
SHOP BUTTONS
Olivia Muenter
Olivia Muenter is a freelance writer and former fashion and beauty editor who writes about fashion, beauty, lifestyle, relationships, travel, home decor, and more for Woman's Day and beyond.
Ysolt Usigan
Ysolt Usigan is a lifestyle writer and editor with 15+ years of experience working in digital media.
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