Christmas all Wrapped Up
Of course when it comes to giving gifts, it’s the thought that counts. Nothing compares with a well considered present, but as with all things in life, packaging still matters.
With a little time and imagination you can elevate a simple gift into something wonderful. So to that end, here are a few of my Christmas wrapping ideas. Disclaimer: these are best not attempted late on Christmas Eve, nursing a hangover or a sugar high from inhaling a whole tub of Celebrations, but maybe that’s just me!
To keep things simple and stylish select just one colour for your entire wrapping scheme. Wrap all your gifts in different patterned paper but within a particular colour pallet. Adding a complementary ribbon will add texture and interest.
A mix of wrapping papers in just one colour will make your presents stand out under the Christmas tree. Red is always a great choice but alternatively a monochrome theme works so well in a modern interior.
For a more sustainable approach to Christmas gift wrapping, wrap all your gifts in newspaper and recycled ribbon. For me that means the Financial Times with black velvet ribbon. I love the colour combination of black and blush pink but any newspaper with black, red or green ribbon would work equally well. Trust me everyone will love it and you’ll get first prize for the most imaginative wrapping on Christmas day.
Sometimes part of the gift can actually be used to wrap the present. Whenever I gift someone a Harrow & Green personalised tote bag I fill it with little treats, wrap the tote bag around the contents and tie it up with a bright coloured velvet ribbon. To make things even easier, the bags are personalised with the recipient’s initial, so there’s no need to add a name label. However for that ‘difficult to buy for’ man in your life, you can’t beat a Harrow & Green Bloke tote bag. It’s a fun and effortlessly simple way to wrap up a Christmas present.
The wrapping can also be part of the gift. When gifting a bottle of wine, instead of using a disposable paper bottle gift bag, I wrap a tea towel around the bottle with a ribbon. You can never have enough tea towels and it makes a simple bottle of wine into a more thoughtful gift.
However my favourite way to wrap presents is to use Liberty print fabric. This particular scheme does require a little planning though. as most of us don’t have a box of Liberty fabric remnants just hanging around the house!
Whatever you are wrapping needs to be placed in a box. Use ironed fabric as it will look sharper and then simply fold it around the box. Secure the fabric into place using dressmaker pins. To finish, tie a ribbon around the present. Again, velvet ribbons work best with fabric. I have chosen to use Liberty fabric but any thin cotton fabric works. Believe me, your friends and family will be so impressed and once again this is a very sustainable way to wrap gifts.
For small Christmas presents I use our Harrow & Green personalised mini Christmas sack. Filled with a small gift, sweets or chocolates these mini sacks look so cute on the Christmas table or the breakfast tray. It gives the adults something to open as the children tear into their Christmas stockings!
Of course I couldn’t finish this blog post without saying that the perfect and easiest way to wrap gifts is to pop them all into a personalised Harrow & Green Christmas sack. Father Christmas really does know your name and he’s put it on a Christmas sack. The magic is real.
Happy Christmas and happy wrapping!
Words and photos by Tanya Taylor © 2022