The Joys of Holiday Gift Wrap
Image via Silk and Willow
There are so many reasons to love the holidays. The food is comforting and indulgent. The time spent with family is lengthy and intentional. The music is jolly and the smells are familiar and nostalgic. All of these sensory experiences contribute to the unique happiness that only this time of the year elicits.
For me, gift giving is also a component to this happiness. If you are someone who becomes stressed by holiday gift giving, I hope to encourage and inspire you with today’s post. The internet is filled with endless gift guides, helping us shop for everyone in our lives. But through the years, I have found little inspiration for the art of gift giving itself. The creative effort we can dedicate to the presentation of our gift can far surpass the gratification that comes even with finding the perfect gift in the first place! When we take the time to wrap a gift with intention and originality, we are not only giving the gift of beauty to a loved one, we are also gifting a piece of ourselves. How many things in life would be made more enjoyable if we adopted a similar mentality?
I hope you enjoy browsing these holiday gift presentations as much as I have enjoyed curating them for you. And most of all, I hope they inspire you to slow down this holiday season, and approach your gift giving with intentionality and as a creative outlet for yourself. Give yourself permission to create something beautiful as you give to those you love!
Blue & White Whimsical
How perfect would this gift wrapping be for a young recipient? It looks like it came straight from the North Pole! The adorable “stamp” adds a playful touch and would be easy to re-create with a fine point red marker.
Image via herz-allerliebst
Holiday Treats Inspired
An excellent way to re-purpose any leftover treats you may have after hosting!
Image via Half Baked Harvest
Sustainable
I love the idea of utilizing dried orange slices or stems to decorate your gift. Did you spot the linen wrapped present? What an unexpected way to utilize what you already have to create something special. (I imagine this would also work well with a festive tea towel and the wrapping would then double as a practical gift!)
Image via Elana Loo
Picture Perfect
The contrast between the mustard yellow ribbon and the black wrapping paper here is stunning and classy. But what steals the show is the use of the small pictures in lieu of gift tags. How sentimental would it be to print out a small, black and white picture of you and your loved one to adorn their gift with?
Image via Inspired By This
Red, White and Wax Melts
New arts and crafts goal unlocked: learn to create adorable wax melts (which are absolutely beautiful and nostalgic used on presents and envelopes alike). I especially love that this artist chose to match the twine to the wax. Cohesive and fun!
Image via Curbly
Headline Worthy
Another way to keep your gift wrap sustainable (and affordable!) this year is to repurpose some newspaper. Adorn with some cranberry stems and you have yourself a perfectly wrapped gift that shouldn’t hurt the environment or your wallet too badly.
Twinkle Little Star
To achieve this look, grab some metallic sharpies and draw a collection of stars on your black wrapping paper. I’ve attempted this idea before and my children really enjoyed the result!
Image via The Simply Perfect Life
Alternating Minimalist Velvet Ribbon
I am currently experiencing an obsession with velvet ribbon. I have even adorned by Christmas tree this year with burgundy velvet ribbon bows. This will be my choice of gift wrapping this year for my loved ones. I love the simplicity of the brown kraft paper and the richness of the velvet ribbon. Simple yet elegant!
Image via Modern-Glam
Vintage Postcard Themed
If you love nostalgia (and happen to have a francophile on your gift giving list this year) look no further than a vintage postcard themed gift presentation!
Image via The Graphics Fairy
Jingle All The Way
These small bells are a festive alternative to greenery stems or candy canes if you want to try something new! (Again, swooning over that velvet ribbon!) Add a beautifully illustrated gift tag to pull the look together.
Image via Ella Claire Inspired
Dark and Rich Colors
This is such a great example and reminder that we don’t have to adhere to traditional Christmas colors to achieve a stunning, elegant gift presentation.
Image via Chasing Daisies Blog
Ornamental
If you are like me and have chosen to upgrade your tree ornaments this year, this is an excellent way to give new life to your old ornaments.
Image via Chasing Daisies Blog
Toile Inspired
This final look is truly special. It manages to give off clear holiday vibes while maintaining a style all its own. An excellent gift presentation for that special someone in your life who is a proud non conformist in the most stylish of ways.
Image via Room For Tuesday