For my Adult Children, and Friends and Family

Have you started Christmas present wrapping yet? Have you even made a dent in the presents? Ha. I have to say that I start early every year, since I have three daughters and a husband to shop for and it can be a challenge. 

My process is that I start asking my daughters every year around October, what they think their sisters would want for Christmas. It’s our biggest holiday for sure, and I love knowing I’m getting them things that are special, and that they truly want.

So, armed with that info, I start the shopping, mostly online of course. Then, little by little I start to wrap. I HIGHLY suggest doing it this way. Trying to do a marathon of wrapping is exhausting! And I love seeing the wrapped presents long before they’re opened. And knowing it’s already done and I can enjoy the holiday. Priceless, seriously.

Like most things, I don’t like my presents donned in the standard, ho hum, Christmas wrapping paper. I mean, some of them are, but I like to mix it up and do some cute things that my daughters, and other family and friends really enjoy. Here are some ideas!

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Plain paper. Use a plain colored wrapping paper, so you can decorate the present with markers and stickers or stampers. Check out how I did this using plain yellow paper.

And if you’d like to save some money, use paper bags! Just cut them on the seams to open up into a workable sheet. You can write messages, draw pictures…knock yourself out. I like these cute holiday stickers, too. I really encourage you to start your little ones on this tradition! Help them to wrap the presents and then let them decorate them to their heart’s content. Trust me, the recipients will LOVE this personalized touch.

You can design ink stampers at places like Zazzle.com, fyi. I love stampers because the kids have such fun with them, and they can be awesome to decorate your presents. Get Christmas colored ink pads, and it’s perfect. We designed this one to use on our wedding correspondence, and I used it on one of my husband’s gifts. He will get such a kick out of it!

Along the lines of the plain paper, it’s fun to use special themed gift tags. I use plain blue paper (white would be perfect, too), and these adorable Penn State gift tags and stickers. We are all (except my husband) PSU students and/or grads, so this is such a great theme for our presents.

Photos. I love using photos of the girls on their gifts. These photos (of them at Christmas-time throughout the years) act as gift tags.

They LOVE pictures of themselves, and this is such a cute touch for their presents! Use a regular photograph, or make tags like this above by pulling in photos you have stored in your computer. So easy, but looks creative and personalized.

Add treats. When I wrap my presents using ribbon, I think it’s fun to add something to the package. A big lollypop, candy bar, their favorite cookies or candies, even sparklers that they can use on New Year’s eve! These candy canes came together to make a heart, which was perfect for a gift for my daughter and her boyfriend.

Wine or liquor bottles. When you’re invited to a dinner party, this is seriously the cutest gift to bring along. Have you seen these customizable bottle labels? I love them so much (get them at Zazzle!)!

Slap these on a few bottles to keep at the house for last minute gifts. A bottle of cheer for each of my daughters to take home for New Year’s is a tradition, and using these cute stickers helps them think of me as they celebrate the New Year!

Put on some holiday music, light some cinnamon or sugar cookie candles, and pour a glass of wine. Enjoy letting your creativity guide you into wrapping some cute and clever presents your children and everyone will enjoy opening!

Do you have new and different holiday wrapping ideas? Let me know!