Redefining the Meaning of Wealth

Some of my old fashioned Christmas gift wrapping creations

As I mentioned in my last post, I have drastically cut back on the gift giving the last couple of holiday seasons. I still give small gifts like candy, wine, coffee, etc… And of course there is the white elephant gift exchange my family will be having on Christmas day. Now that my gift giving has been simplified, I have more time to focus on gift wrapping. I love gift wrapping. It’s so creative and fun. When I was a child, I wanted to be a professional gift wrapper when I grew up. Maybe if I had followed that aspiration, I would still be employed, huh??  My mother used to let me wrap all the Christmas presents each year. She would masquerade my gifts in boxes so I couldn’t see the contents. And, I never peeped! Really, I never did!

Gift wrapping can get expensive and of course those gift bags (which I always reuse) are a bit hard on the pocketbook as well. So for those of you who love the art of gift wrapping but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, allow me to introduce to you the roll of brown wrapping paper. Yes, it’s that dull paper you use when you send gifts through the U.S. Mail. But it has oh so much potential for creativity and it brings an old fashioned flavor to the festivities. I love the presentation of brown paper wrapping so much that I now use it to wrap birthday, wedding, and shower gifts. I then personalize them with occasion appropriate ribbons and accessories.

Here are some tips on how beautifully wrap your Christmas gifts using brown paper:

• You can buy a roll of brown paper at your local discount or hardware store. Another option is to cut up brown paper grocery bags.
• Keep a small collection of bows, ribbons, and yarn odds n ends.  I recycle what is given to me on gifts I receive. If I happen to buy something that is tied up with a colorful piece of material, I add that to my collection as well.
• Wrap your gift in brown paper and then add a fancy bow or tie a ribbon around the package.
• Brown paper with just a pretty bow can be quite beautiful by itself, but sometimes I like to get more creative. Cutting out pictures from magazines or newspapers and pasting them on top of the gift is one option. Another option is some type of live or artificial greenery.
• You also might want to add a small accessory like a candy cane or snowflake cut-out to the gift.
• If you have a knack for drawing, use colored markers to add pictures or holiday greetings.
• Cut up old holiday cards or old holiday shopping gift bags and use them as gift tags.

Old fashioned brown paper gift wrapping is simple, frugal, and elegant. It stands out and the recipient is usually thrilled that you went to such effort to create a special package just for them.