How to Survive Life in the Suburbs

How To Make Wrapping Presents Not Suck?

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Awe the wrapping of the gifts.  This should be your time to shine!  You’ve finished all your shopping, checked that list twice, all that’s left to do on your Holiday to-do list is wrap the gifts and put them under the tree.  This should be peaceful, easy, enjoyable, maybe even fun.  SHOULD be, but it’s not.  It’s a time suck, frustrating, and more often than not left to the very last minute so crap just ends up being thrown in gift bags and topped with tissue.  This means the presents you spent HOURS shopping for are unwrapped in 30 seconds and it’s over.  OVER!  Well not this year.  This year there will be no whining or complaining.  This year gift wrapping will be fun.  Okay, maybe not fun, but this year I vow… wrapping the gifts will not suck.

Here are 5 ways to make gift wrapping not suck: 

Be Prepared

I’m guilty of having gifts hidden all over the damn house.  Hey, it’s what happens when you start picking up “little things” here and there three months before the big day.  The next “fun” job in the wrapping game; hunting for the wrapping paper, tissue paper, and ribbon.  This can prove to be a real time killer.  Next task, try and remember who had the scissors last.  Just when you think you’re all organized and ready to go, that’s about the time you realize you have to run out for a second, to buy scotch tape.  Don’t be like me.  Be prepared, know where all your gifts are and have all supplies at the ready.

Entertain Yourself

Put on a Christmas movie or music and ban your people from the house.  You know so you can really feel the spirit of the season.  Christmas comes but once a year, might as well embrace it.

Bring On The Snacks

C’mon, self-explanatory.  Everything is better with snacks.

Call In Back-Up

At a certain point in the wrapping gifts session, you will have one of two thoughts.

1) Your kids are spoiled and you bought too many gifts.

2) You are old.

This is because your back has started to ache from bending and contorting wrapping all those gifts.  Do yourself a favour and delegate some of the gift wrapping.  Many hands make light work.

Time for Champagne

Of course, it is!  Put a fire in the fireplace, grab a drink and get wrapping.  PS This will also help with that backache that was starting.

Merry Christmas!  xoxo

    • Comments

    1. I love everything about this post! Especially the last idea! I keep a bin with all the christmas wrapping paper etc in it. There’s a pair of scissor and tape that stays in the bin NO MATTER WHAT! I can’t stand searching for the things I need. But I enjoy wrapping gift. 🙂

    2. Last year I found winter pajamas I bought for my son for Christmas in the summertime. Now I try to be careful about where I hide stuff!

    3. I have two Rubbermaid totes in my bedroom that hold Christmas gifts. I never buy more than what fits in those (unless kids happen to get a larger item). It’s also just for our two kids so don’t need much storage room. Hubby and i don’t get each other presents usually. If we do it’s a picture printed and in a frame, homemade candy or treat we like or something small put in stocking. I keep all the wrapping supplies in a container under our bed so it’s all together. My shopping is done save for a gift card, then it’s on to the wrapping.

    4. Hi Stephanie…I love the shopping for gifts part of the holidays but I do NOT like wrapping gifts. LOL
      I am going to take a few of your tips and try them out. Music and snacks should definitely help. o
      Merry Christmas

    5. I have always enjoyed wrapping Christmas presents. I like to listen to Christmas music while I’m wrapping and that makes it a whole lot more fun.

    6. I actually love wrapping and making gifts look as special as possible. I have let this go to the wayside the past few years and have succumbed to the ease of bags and tissue paper.

    8. Oh, another fun thing to do when wrapping gifts is to write a riddle to the gift inside on the tag – ours tend to get pretty silly, but it makes opening the gift even more fun! 🙂

    10. Great tips! About to start the journey of wrapping this week and it feels more chore then fun right now! But once I start with a little Christmas music on google and maybe an eggnog too, it will be fun!! It’s the getting started!!

    11. I would love to put it all wrapping “stuff” away after I completed the few hours of wrapping, Away and forget about it for another year. Then I have learned over the years to just put it all together in the corner. There is always, always someone in the house that has a last minute gift to wrap or say hubby who forgot he actually has to wrap my gifts.
      I love your idea of wine & snacks. Might as well make it a personal party 🙂

    12. Wrapping is one of those weird tasks; I like the finished product, and I don’t mind actually wrapping a gift and making it look nice, but you’re right, it’s just a time suck. What I learned during last night’s wrapping session? Wrapping gifts at the kitchen counter is way easier than on the floor or even the coffee table. Lots of room! (I don’t even know how I end up on the floor wrapping gifts sometimes…but it will never happen again!)

      • Much like the pens, I also spread scissors and tape around the house. And like the pens, they usually end up in one spot, but then I make a point to spread them out again 🙂 They’re no good in the Christmas box in July! 🙂

    15. You must be writing this post about me lol,I’m so guilty of having gifts hidden all over the house and I usually find many small items when I do Spring cleaning. Great post,I love gift bags !