Gift Wrapping.

United States
November 5, 2006 4:24pm CST
I am not sure that I will buy wrapping paper to wrap my Christmas gifts this year. It is not the cost mind you, as you can get wrapping paper at your local dollar store. It is the amount of time it takes to tear through your beautifully wrapped gift. Then you have to discard it. You shouldn't burn wrapping paper. I have decided to save my newspapers to wrap the gifts in. I will use ribbons as I always do and save them for future use. The newspaper can be recycled or burned. We will use it in the fireplace. What will you be using to wrap your gifts?
6 people like this
54 responses
• United States
6 Nov 06
I have already wrapped most of my presents. I try to buy extra paper after xmas, and wrap as I buy. Great job conserving.
3 people like this
• United States
6 Nov 06
I have a handful of gifts. I have so much more to do. This year is going to be frugal with both of us unemployed. I am making my gifts.
1 person likes this
@Brandi06 (2227)
• United States
6 Nov 06
it does take alot of time.
3 people like this
• United States
6 Nov 06
The amount of time we spend wrapping the gifts is crazy. When my kids were little I made them carefully unwrap the gift and explained that it took a long time to wrap it and it should put more than a few seconds effort into the unwrapping as well.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Nov 06
Well I will probably use some Christmas paper and I also use a lot of gift bags. These are nice because the recipient can re-use the bag. I do remember one year I used newspaper because there was a lot of talk about how much paper is wasted and the shortage of trees, so everyone that I knew used newspaper that year. I actually used the colored sunday funny paper because it was prettier!
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
6 Nov 06
I shall be using Christmas Wrapping Paper as usual. I normally disapprove of all the packaging and cartons that we encounter everyday because they take vast amounts of natural resources to make and are then a nuisance to remove. Christmas is the only time that I think that the presentation is important.
2 people like this
• United States
7 Nov 06
I agree, but still you can use colorful ribbons to decorate the funny papers used to wrap a gift. You can cut the paper into strips and curl it. I have done this many times and it is pretty funky looking. I have had a lot of comments on it.
1 person likes this
@gittabest (1946)
• Iceland
6 Nov 06
Just normal Christmas paper or boxes :)
3 people like this
• United States
6 Nov 06
I love using Christmas wrap for my gifts, but the cost of disposing it has got me thinking.
2 people like this
• United States
6 Nov 06
That is true, try bags then and they can keep it for something special
2 people like this
• United States
6 Nov 06
I have used bags in the past. Maybe I will just buy the plain colored ones that way they can be reused for all occasions. If I feel the need to wrap I can always use tissue paper, wrap up the gifts and put them in the bag.
1 person likes this
@pumpkinjam (8690)
• United Kingdom
6 Nov 06
That's a really good idea. I'm usually a bit stingy with giftwrapping anyway. I like to wrap the kids presents but with some people, I just keep it in the shop carrier bag and cellotape it up!
2 people like this
• United States
6 Nov 06
I love wrapping presents! For me, it part of the fun of gift giving. Sometimes I'll use pretty fabric to wrap a gift, or use paper my children have colored.
2 people like this
@rhitzky (362)
• Philippines
8 Nov 06
its a good idea of recycling. just use your imagination. be creative.
1 person likes this
• United States
10 Nov 06
Another idea would be... depending on the present being given..If someone is giving a pretty afgan or blanket for a gift and has something else... you could wrap the other gift in the afgan or blanket and tie some ribbons around it...
1 person likes this
• United States
8 Nov 06
Recycling is most important. Our natural resources will not always be there. Fools are those who believe that the will be.
• United States
8 Nov 06
Recycling is most important. Our natural resources will not always be there. Fools are those who believe that the will be.
• United States
11 Nov 06
I've used gift bags for the past four years. I love them. It is so much easier and less time consuming. It is also easier to recycle the bags, which makes it better for the landfills.
• United States
12 Nov 06
You are so right.... I have started saving everything.... I am to the point that I need a bigger house, lol... I bought the smartones on sale at shaws a few weeks back that were 10/$10 and I had .30 coupons and they double so I ended up paying .40 per item which is a good deal... I bought like 50 of them and put them in the deep freeze, everytime we eat one.. I was the plastic container and put it in the cupboard and will use them when we go camping for plates... I won't have to buy anything.. I have also started saving the breyers yogurt containers to use as plastic cups when we go camping...
• United States
12 Nov 06
The yogurt cups are great to start seedlings in.
• United States
12 Nov 06
Our landfills are really overfilled. We need to rethink what to do with our waste. Recycle, reduce, reuse. : )
@iamgen (160)
• United States
6 Nov 06
you know what, butterfly? i've never taken the time to think about what a complete waste wrapping paper truly is and how it negatively impacts our environment. you brought about a good point. maybe this year i will wrap all of my gifts in boxes or tins that the recipients will keep and reuse themselves. good thread!
2 people like this
@lalav1 (1052)
• United States
6 Nov 06
I actually love wrapping gifts, but it is a lot of work. I use gift wrap for some and gift bags for odd shaped gifts and for when I get totally burnt out on wrapping. I also use tissue paper for bottle or cylinder shaped items where you can just wrap the paper around and twist it at the end or ends and tie ribbon around it. Neat boxes and tins are cool too and for those extremely hard to shop for I may get a gift card and stick it into a Christmas card. I shop all year round, so I have almost all my shopping done now. I will wrap the gifts I am sending back east first and I spread it out and do 3 or 4 every other day when I'm in the mood. Another thing you can do is get people stockings and fill them up with small gifts! Hope this helps.
• United States
6 Nov 06
I like to use a natural, standard shipping paper, and dress it up w/raffia, stencil paint, etc.
@baysmummy (1637)
• Australia
24 Dec 06
I brought christmas wrapping paper to wrap all our presents up, i brought 8 roles and i think we have spent a total off $5 for them. Christmas just wouldnt be the same without the christmas wrapping paper, it would look so crappy with newspaper. thats my opinion anyway!
1 person likes this
• United States
28 Dec 06
I had long forgotten that we do not purchase a newspaper. When I was working I would bring home the paper at the end of each day. We bought dollar store paper.
@stailgate (2363)
• United States
21 Dec 06
I have wrapped all of my gifts in Christmas wrap. You have that you can't burn Christas wrap why not? I have never heard of this.
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Dec 07
I have always been told not to burn Christmas wrap, magazines or even newspapers with colored ink as the inks and foils used often contain chemicals that can be toxic when burned.
• United States
7 Nov 06
I HATE gift wrapping. I can't gift wrap if my life depended on it. I have a friend gift wrap presents for me just with good old cheap wrapping paper!
1 person likes this
• United States
10 Nov 06
I wrap my gifts to please the eye. Many of my family members would bring their packages to me to wrap them for them.
@Polly1 (12645)
• United States
10 Nov 06
I will use wrapping paper, I buy mine over the summer at a flea market for 88 cents a roll. I have used the funny section of the newspaper before. Also one year my arm was injured and I could only use one arm, everyone go there stuff in plastic grocery bags. Under the tree looked interesting, haha.
1 person likes this
• United States
11 Nov 06
I like to use wrapping paper, don't get me wrong there. My problem is the waste. My mother suggested I wrap in trash bags. Well that is a bit unusual. But, I actually did think of doing it. There are many pretty colored trash bags and if you tie it up with ribbons it can look okay, but, what a trashy thing to do.
• India
10 Nov 06
Well, I differ from your point of view in one way. I love the wrapping papers and I preserve them. I take the pain to open the papers carefully and see that it is not torn. Then with the gift I treasure the wrapping paper even the card. I have a lot of wrapping papers collected over the years. Even my best friends share my point of view and we are very careful while opening a present. For me a gift would be incomplete without the wrapping paper.
1 person likes this
• United States
11 Nov 06
My mother did this one year and kept the papers in a box and used them again the following year. I do keep the bows and ribbons for another year. I keep my Christmas cards and make unique items with them including gift tags for the gifts.
@pookie92 (1714)
• United States
7 Nov 06
I save the gift bags that I receive from others ( I hate it when they write on the bags, please don't do that, ruins the recycle), and when I give gifts, I reuse the bags. I do wrap the kids presents, they love to tear them open. Newspaper is OK, but it leaves black on everything. I have a huge roll of butcher paper for the kids crafts that I use for wrapping. They like to decorate the paper themselves for the gifts they wrap.
• United States
7 Nov 06
Hmmmmm that gave me an idea. If you go to your local newspaper press they usually have end rolls that can be purchased for a song. You could decorate it with your own design. I know that my grandkids would love to get in on the decorating by using stamps with a Christmas theme or possibly just letting them loose with their own ideas. Fun, designer wrapping paper.
• United States
7 Nov 06
Hi.... I just added you as a friend and would appreciate if you would do the same.. I have read many of your discussions and feel like we are on the same wave length.... frugalness etc.. Thanks much....
1 person likes this
• United States
8 Nov 06
Consider it done. Nice to have so many people who agree with frugality.
• United States
8 Nov 06
Just give a gift bag, saves time.
1 person likes this
• United States
8 Nov 06
One big bag for each person, then they have something to carry out their goodies.