5 Creative and Affordable Wrapping Ideas For Christmas

While some people relish the thought of wrapping gifts for Christmas, others see it as just another source of holiday stress. On top of shopping, braving the mad traffic, and entertaining balikbayans, who has the extra time to put gifts in fancy packages? 

Luckily, gift wrappers aren't the only things you can use to make prettily packaged presents for the upcoming holidays. There are other ideas you can try. Check them out below: 

1. Go eco-friendly. 

Make use of old newspapers or pages from old magazines. You'll save a few trees in the process. 

2. Make it useful.

Wrap your presents in something the recipient won't have to throw away, like a pretty scarf. It could serve as a lovely bonus present. 

3. Stick to a theme.

If you're giving something to a friend who loves to travel, you could wrap the item in an old map, for example. Think of the gift or the recipient and base your wrapper choice on that. 

4. DIY it! 

Make it more personal. Buy a roll of Manila paper and decorate it in any way you please. You can arm your kids with crayons or paint and let them go wild. 

5. Give away gift cards. 

No need to shop or wrap anything at all! Got a friend who loves to cop cute clothes? Get them a gift card from Forever 21 or H&M. Got a sister who loves decorating her home? Crate and Barrel carries gift checks in various amounts. And the best part is—they get to choose their gift and pick something they really like.

This snippet is from a published article ("It's A Wrap!") that originally appeared in the November 2008 of Real Living Magazine.