Christmas Wrapping Station
Creating a Christmas Wrapping Station make Wrapping Enjoyable
A Christmas wrapping station doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive, but I strongly suggest following the directions in this post and making yourself one. The very first thing I do each year is looking through the Christmas wrapping station, and purchase what I need. Costco and Hallmark both bring in good quality wrapping products early.
Wrapping presents is lots of fun as long as it’s under the right conditions. I do a significant amount of gift wrapping as I truly enjoy wrapping presents and giving gifts that are especially pretty. Every year I wrap all of our gifts and several extras for friends who ask me to help to do there’s for them. I enjoy it, for me a beautiful or cute presentation is a huge part of the joy in gift giving and receiving.
Here’s are some suggestions to make Christmas wrapping fun.
Organize your Christmas Wrapping Supplies
Start early even in September you can start by saving boxes, asking for boxes on any purchases you make. Gather and preparing pine cones, buy wrapping tape, look online for some new ideas.
a
Create a Wrapping Station
a
Organize a wrapping center. We have a tall plastic Rubbermaid container that holds wrapping paper upright, and a cheap set of plastic drawers. Both are several years old now, maybe even a decade (or two lol).
If you’re not ready to invest in something permanent, set aside a bedroom drawer or a box in the cupboard. Place a waste paper basket nearby. It doesn’t matter where you build your wrapping station just as long as you have your supplies gathered and organized ahead of time.
Besides wrapping paper make sure to have scissors, scotch tape, packaging tape, measuring tape, envelopes for gift receipts and pretty pens in different ink colours.
Sort through last year’s leftover wrapping supplies. Check what wrapping supplies you can use and donate away any wrapping supplies you won’t be using. This time of year the donation centers really welcome gift wrapping.
Iron recycled ribbon or tissue paper, mend any reused boxes if needed. In the above picture, you can see how I organized my collection of gift boxes that I saved after last years gift opening.
If you’re going to have a color scheme purchase new supplies for this year. Make sure you have assorted sized boxes, tissue paper, real ribbon with wired edges, thin ribbon, twine, wrapping paper, embellishments, gift tags and lots of tape.
Already this sounds like a lot of work and it sure can be. Isn’t it nicer to do it early as soon as the Christmas supplies come out, instead of December when you’re crazy busy?
Having everything in a designated spot really shortens the time it takes to wrap. Not having to leave what you’re doing to search for tape, the scissors, or a box the right size makes Christmas wrapping much nicer to do.
a
Choose a Theme for your Gift Wrap or Choose Not Toa
Some people will tell you to chose a theme and two or three coordinating colours for your gift wrapping. I disagree. If you are a blogger who will be taking home tour photos for your blog, of course, you want your parcels to match the decor. Coordinating paper makes your Christmas tree look much more coherent and designed.
If you have children at home so you hide the gifts until Christmas Eve, does it really matter if it coordinates? I don’t think so. Go ahead and wrap each person’s parcel in their favorite colour, cartoon character, or theme.
Make your parcel fun for the receiver. I will make super feminine gifts for my daughter in laws with silver paper and pink pearled ribbon and lace; for Hubs not on your life. His favorite and only colour is blue. The point here is to have a PLAN and purchase what supplies you need ahead of time.
a
Purchase Real Ribbon
a
Learn to tie bows, they are much prettier and personal than purchased bows are. It really is easy to do and all kinds of how to videos and tutorials. Always use wired ribbon, the wired ribbon at Costco is decent quality and it costs less than pre-made bows do.
Look for Christmas Paper with Cutting Lines
Not all paper has cutting lines printed on the back which is too bad. The paper at Costco and Hallmark usually have the lines, its worth the time to check before selecting your Christmas paper.
a
Purchase or Make Embellishments
This is the most creative part of wrapping. It doesn’t need to be expensive. Make a snowman using a piece of ribbon and three buttons, add pinecones, a pick of red berries, a cotton boll, a candy cane, cinnamon sticks, dollar store snowflake or Christmas bells.
Wrap in Sessions
Wrap in sessions, two hours now, two hours later, two hours when the mood hits you or two hours every evening. If possible, wrap as soon as you bring your purchased gifts home, whatever works best for you. Remember that marathon wrapping sessions makes it a task and isn’t nearly as much fun.
Make Christmas Wrapping a Mini Event
Eat some of the snacks your making for the holidays. Play Christmas music. Have a favorite beverage. Get comfy, wear your PJs or a favorite Christmas ugly sweater.
Doing these things makes the gift wrapping very enjoyable for me. I daydream about how excited the granddaughters will be getting their presents. How much my daughter in law enjoys her Christmas wrapping,
I curate a group board on Pinterest with several of my favorite bloggers specifically for Christmas wrapping. There lots of inspiration there and more being added all the time.
I am beyond excited for the Christmas holidays to start.
Great tips!!! Always looking for new ways to organize wrapping paper and all the stuff that comes with it 🙂 Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sarah Bell
Trendy & Tidy
These are great tips, I love wrapping gifts and get teased because I am so careful when I unwrap gifts. As you say you can recycle the ribbon and sometimes the paper. I have limited storage space so I use and old travel suit bag for my wrapping paper. I hang it in my laundry cupboard and put the bows, tape and other items in a clear storage box on the shelf above.
Hi Mo: Its true. Why not enjoy the opening. After the gift is open its just stuff, but ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh a present. I luvs presents.
The travel suit bag would be really handy because its long enough and the paper stands correctly. Isn’t it so much better when you have it organized and in one spot so your not running around looking for it?
Thank you for following me on my blog girl. It means a lot to me. Leanna
I have a tall wrapping station made by rubbermaid that has kept me organized for years. I love this post. I actually got some of my shopping done early this year and started the wrapping. Normally it can take me several long days and it isn’t fun. My kids love how I make up who the gifts are from like the snow ball gang or twinkle star…they tease me that I am drinking while I wrap…I just like to make things fun. I need to try to learn to do the ribbon that looks gorgeous!
I am very excited for our gift wrapping link party. I really look forward to see your parcels. Are they sparkly????
Leanna
Leanna, I’m sharing my wrapping tips, tricks and ideas on Friday and the one thing I mention is the wired ribbon! Aren’t they great! I also use curling ribbon, but the reasons will be revealed on Friday in my blog post.
Hi Carol: I made a note to come and check out your blog on Friday. I look forward to seeing your tips. I am hosting a gift wrapping link up with several other bloggers the first week of December. Come join us.
Thank you for the comment. Leanna
My husband and I always have a wrapping “date night”! These are great tips to keep everything organized. I never thought of one of those drawer units to store flat paper, ribbon, etc. It would fit neatly in my closet and I have have one drawer for birthday wrap!
Hi Maureen: A wrapping date night would be wonderful. My youngest son is the only one of the men in my house who enjoys gift wrapping, for me its definitely a solo activity. They are much more likely to ask me to wrap something for them then to learn to enjoy it. Good for you guys.
Thanks for letting me know you found the post helpful. It makes me happy. Leanna
Those are some really great tips, I usually have to turn my kitchen table into my wrapping station when no ones home. It’d be so nice to go into a room and close the door. LOL Thanks for linking up with us at the DI & DI Link party.
Thank you for commenting. I really enjoy link parties. I am a new blogger this is my first Christmas season. I am very excited to see what everyone will come up with. I receive loads of inspiration from the link parties. Its how I find most of the bloggers I read. Leanna
That sounds like fun the way you do it!! I tend to wait until the last minute and use lots of bags so I can get it done quickly.
Hi Melony: I enjoy doing it under the right circumstances. If I leave it until the last minute I feel burdened, its great that you can just wing it like that. Not my strongest attribute I am afraid.
You are so organized! I just throw everything in a box, and I am not great at gift wrapping. I like the idea of having a theme.
Hi Marjan: If you think about it, having everything you need in a box is organized. I love wrapping gifts when I have what I need, where and need it, and don’t have to go on a house search trying to find whats needed. Also the family knows where the stuff is and not to move it. At least in theory lol. Thanks for writing. Leanna
What a great and helpful post! You have some great tips and ideas. I love the wrapping station idea. You have inspired me to sort through what I have and organize it so I have a station. This will make wrapping a more pleasant experience. 🙂 Thank you!!!
Hi Melissa: I am glad to hear it. Not having to stop in the middle of something to go look for tape or scissors or a pen or ??? really makes it much more fun.
These are such great tips!! I will be taking them all on board as I too love to wrap presents but your way seems much more organised! Pinned and stumbled 🙂
Hi Sam: Thank you for the compliment and shares. People often tell me that I am really organized, yet I feel like I never have enough time to get on top of everything. Taking it in small bits helps me alot.
Wrapping gifts is the prettiest and fastest of the Christmas crafts, glitter, ribbon and No dishes. I love it.
Thanks for commenting.
Excellent tips, Leanna and something that has been on my To Do List every Christmas for a couple of years now and yet has been done. Thanks for the early reminder and motivation to get my you know what in gear to make it happen. Oh but first I should start my Christmas shopping!
I am always on a budget, so many things to I need to grab and lets not whine about prices. I find by getting the tidbits purchased and put aside it helps the last paydays before Christmas.
Thanks for budgeting… May I suggest West Edmonton Mall on Dec 24 for shopping?? lol
Leanna, I can see that you have a talent for this. I already love your style and decor skills, I bet that your wrapped gifts are gorgeous! I love that you put that much that thought into making them perfect for the recipient. Makes the gift even more special.
Hi Nikki: I know my daughter says my presents are her favorite because she find them over the top pretty. The men don’t say much, so I just stuck bows on a couple of them last year as a little smell test. Herman asked me to do them with ribbon instead, made me grin.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, it brightens my day.
Your wrapping station is so organised, great tips are given in the post. Your first Christmas themed post so nice, now you can write more for the readers like me.
Thank you Sadhna. I have one more post about getting organized written and a how to for tree decorating. At my age you learned a few things about stream lining the household stuff. I sure know reading your blog is on my holiday to do list. Love your recipes.
These are really great tips!! Paper with lines was a game changer for me, I always look for it now.
I only knew that the paper at costco often came with lines. I find it so much easier to use and fold on the square etc. I found it at Hallmark this year as well, so from now on I won’t ever buy anything else.
Thank you very much for commenting Shandy.
I love the title and your tips! I can’t wait to start buying the supplies, and of course, the presents. Oh, and wired ribbon at Costco is the best! 🙂
For sure the wired ribbon at Costco is the best deal. It comes in a wide variety and because you get so much of it you can go wild with the stuff. I am not crazy about their gift tags though. Thanks for commenting Ana.
These are all great tips! Last year, each kid got their own wrapping paper. It made things so much easier on Christmas morning.
Hi Jessica: Individualized paper is cute, each little one can get there favorite character etc. Kids enjoy the extra bit of fun as well. My girls like the really big ribbons and anything sparkly.
Wow this post has got me in the festive mood. Now if I could only work out what to get people! #weekendblogshare
I am glad to have fall and halloween decor organized and put away. Just starting on getting the Christmas stuff going. It sure is a busy time of year. Thank you for commenting. Leanna
Love these tips Leanna. I never thought about it and it’s always such a mad rush. I especially like the fact that you give yourself extra time to make it beautiful and add a little something extra special and cute. Enjoy the wrapping them this year with your gorgeous afghan and that beautiful independent Pyrenees
Thank you Michelle: I have gotten the children’s gifts wrapped. I am hoping to do a video of bow tying if I can have Herman home long enough to do the camera for me.
Christmas wrapping is alot of fun and very easy if you do it early enough.
Thank you for commenting, feedback is wonderful.
These are great tips!
I love the idea of a wrapping station. All of my gift wrap and gift bags are stored in an under-the-bed bin in our bedroom. When it’s time to wrap all the gifts (I do it all at once!), the bedroom turns into a wrapping room.
and is it just me, or is buying pretty wrapping paper the ultimate feel-good retail therapy? When I’m feeling down, I go over to Target or Hobby Lobby and i buy some pretty wrapping paper. Instant pick me up!
Hello. Thank you for the kind reply. I love stationary of all types, paper, cards, pretty notepads. It is really fun to pull out pretty paper and all the embellishments. Considering the time most crafts take wrapping gifts if pretty quick. I use to do all my wrapping on the bed with the door locked and music playing.
Thank you for the comment, it makes my day.
Great post! I tend to buy my holiday wrap, ribbon and gift tags the week after Christmas of the following year so when I start pulling them all out in Dec. I am excited to look at everything I bought. I enjoy wrapping and usually start with all the niece and nephew gifts so I have a few to put right under the tree the day we put it up.
Hi Joanne: I love the tree with all the gifts piled under it, so exciting. That is one good thing about being an empty nester, we don’t have to worry about little eyes getting over excited. Do you have a wrapping station, I really find it makes a world of difference for me.
Thank you for commenting. Leanna
Great idea to learn to make your own bows! That’s something I haven’t learned yet.
Hi Rachael: I have written a blog post tutorial on how to fold ribbons into bows, including a my favorite. I am just trying to do some videos for them. I will post them before the end of November.
Thank you for commenting. It always makes me happy to see a comment. Leanna
Leanna that is very clever to wrap according to the recipients taste. I had never thought of it that way before. You are giving me too many dangerous ideas here. haha.
Dangerous is right! lol.
This year I am participating in a Christmas Home tour Eureka…so I am doing the coordinated papers. But I really don’t think its a must have.
Thanks for commenting lady. Leanna
These are really great tips! I love the idea of making it a mini-event. Especially for overwhelmed moms.
Hi Pam: I love wrapping gifts, receiving pretty packages etc. Its just so much more fun if you do it organized. When I was buying my paper a lady commented why so early. So I explained it to her.
Now it’s off my list