How to Perfectly Wrap a Christmas Gift: 10 Easy Steps

So, you’ve completed all your Christmas shopping. Now comes the fun part: the wrapping of the presents. Whether you prepare them ahead of time to display beneath the tree or wait until Christmas Eve so they will be a surprise on Christmas morning, everyone wants their gifts to look amazing, including both the gift giver and the gift receiver.

If you are looking for a quick primer on how to perfectly wrap a Christmas gift, we can help. With just 10 easy steps, you can give your presents the same flair and festiveness accomplished by high-end department stores’ gift-wrapping departments. All you need are a few essential supplies, a little patience, and a dash of creativity, and your Christmas gifts can look as incredible on the outside as they are on the inside.

Supplies Checklist:

– Wrapping Paper (the thicker, the better)

– Tape (double sided works best)

– Scissors (make sure they’re sharp)

– Gift Boxes (it’s much easier to wrap sturdy square- and rectangle-shaped gifts packages, so these help a lot)

– Ribbons (various widths and colors)

– Bows (various styles and colors)

– Gift Tags

The 10 Steps of Gift Wrapping:

1. Secure the Gift in a Gift Box

In order to obtain gift wrapping perfection, it is beneficial if your gift is secured in sturdy packaging with hard edges. Squares and rectangles are optimal. If your gift is already in a solid box, you are ready for step 2.

2. Select the Paper

Hopefully, your Christmas shopping has included picking up a few roles of bright and cheerful wrapping paper, or something more your taste, to accommodate your needs. Perhaps some of those wrapping papers have a particular relevance to your gift recipients. It’s good to take a moment before you begin wrapping to ensure you have selected the “right” paper for the gift and for the person who will receive the gift.

3. Size Up the Gift

Unroll a section of the wrapping paper and lay the gift face down on the paper. Make sure you have enough room on all 4 sides to fold over and completely cover the gift. To be on the safe side, appropriate at least 1-1/2x more paper for your gift than the actual gift. This is crucial before moving on to the next step.

4. Cut the Wrapping Paper

This is a lot easier if your wrapping paper is the type with the grid imprint on the flip side. If not, there is no need to worry if some of your cutting is not completely straight. Once you begin the folding and taping process, miss cuts and jagged cuts can easily be concealed.

5. Folding and Taping

The two most important things to remember with this step is to keep out any paper slack and be liberal with your use of tape. If you keep those things in mind, it will go a long way towards helping your present look perfect. Make your folds as tight as you can, securing with tape along the way. Double sided tape or invisible tape are very handy supplies to have on hand, as they can help make your gift look even more neat and tidy.

6. Trim Excess Paper

This step should be followed in conjunction with Step 5. As you secure your gift with your folds, tucks and tape, make sure you trim any excess paper that might get in the way and make your gift look bulky.

7. Select Ribbons and Bows

This is where you can get a little creative. As with your gift wrap selection, you might have picked out specific ribbons and bows to match special wrapping paper or to grace the presents of certain gift recipients. Adding this extra, and often personal, touch goes a long way in making a plain wrapped gift look special.

8. Attach Ribbons and Bows

Pre-tied bows look best placed in one of the corners or in the middle of a package. With ribbons, a cross-shaped design makes an attractive presentation. Simply run a section of ribbon across the middle horizontally and another across the middle vertically. You can punctuate the cross section in the middle with a pre-made bow or make your own bow from additional sections of ribbon. There are many tutorials available online if you want to go that route.

9. Gift tags

Hopefully by this point you still remember what is inside of your beautifully wrapped gift. Pick out a gift tag, affix it to your gift and fill in the “To:” and “From:” sections. Your gift is now ready for Christmas morning.

10. Enjoy a Cup of Cocoa

Step 10 is intended as a gift to YOU after all of the gifts have been wrapped. The perfect culmination to all of your hard work and effort. Of course, you don’t have to wait until the job is complete. You can always enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, wassail, eggnog, or another festive holiday beverage of your choice in between gifts. Or even right now. You deserve it!

If you weren’t already a seasoned pro at giftwrapping, we hope this article was at least a little helpful and inspirational. And we wish you all the best with your wrapping endeavors for Christmas 2020. Season’s greetings to you all!

Check out our 2020 Christmas gift guide to find gift ideas for everyone on your list!