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[lucymo]

On 12/12/2014 shesallthat said:

i love buying the perfect wrapping paper - when i have time i will make my own bows but usually it is a store bought one. but i hate those little cheapy one that you buy by the bag full and then stick on!

ITA with bag of bows. I know people who can no longer tie bows due to hand problems and those work for them at an affordable price but I don't use them either.

[Luv_My_Beagle]

I love wrapping gifts, too. I have bought some pretty paper at Target and Pier 1, Hallmark, you name it.

I spend so much time making my tree and my home in general looking the way I want it at Christmas time, I just feel like the gifts under the tree need to be pretty, too!! I am probably the only one in the family that really appreciates the how nice they look, though...Ha!!

[lucymo]

On 12/12/2014 Luv_My_Beagle said:

I love wrapping gifts, too. I have bought some pretty paper at Target and Pier 1, Hallmark, you name it.

I spend so much time making my tree and my home in general looking the way I want it at Christmas time, I just feel like the gifts under the tree need to be pretty, too!! I am probably the only one in the family that really appreciates the how nice they look, though...Ha!!

I know what you mean, my family and friends like the pretty packages but don't want to invest the time and money to make theirs look that way.

[Mominohio]

On 12/12/2014 Madisson said:

You can buy cloth Christmas bags also. We have a bunch of them (satin red cloth)...can't remember where I got them from. They came in different sizes. I use them for odd-shaped gifts. My daughters have some too, so we only use them for family gifts to keep them in the family.

We found some home made cloth bags at a thrift store run by a Mennonite Church in our area. Their thrift shop is more like an upscale consignment shop, but with really cheap prices. They also have an area there where they make rugs and quilts. They get lots of brand new fabrics donated, and they make the nicest gift bags out of them, with a satin ribbon sewed on to tie it closed. They have many sizes and styles of fabric, and we put some of our gifts in, tie them closed and they look like miniature Santa sacks under the tree. At the end of the season, I press them off, and put them away till next year. They look great stuffed with plastic grocery store bags and tied shut to place in vignettes like sleighs and such. Some of the fabric is so very elegant. I like that they are reusable for many, many years.

To answer the OP's questions. I wrap with ribbons and bows, use pretty paper gift bags, and use reusable cloth gift bags. I like a tree that has some variety under it in the packaging. Some years everything is done in a color scheme, and other years it is just a mix of patterns and colors I love.

[Mary Bailey]

I rarely use a box, too many were not being re-used. The less to throw away the better.

I just use wrapping paper or in a gift bag. I do use fancy paper and holiday tissue paper that I buy after Christmas on clearance.

[NickNack]

I prefer wrapping paper and bows to bags. Sometimes I'll put something in a bag though. I give gift cards to my niece and nephew because that's what they want. I put them in small bags.

[Rather be napping]

I mostly use boxes with lot's of ribbon. Feels more like part of the decorations that way. Sometimes I use dried or silk flowers as a topper instead of ribbon. And for some I attach those seasonal chocolates shaped like Christmas characters all over the paper...takes awhile to open that way, but they seem to enjoy.

[Serenity-Now]

Before my beloved mother died almost a decade ago, we had made a new pact back then, to no longer wrap as many gifts as possible, and instead try to save a few trees by using re-usable good quality decorative gift bags year after year. We started collecting them, and i still have some from that era that bring back special memories of shopping with my wonderful mom, whom I miss so very much.

Just this year, I have started also collecting fancy decorative gift boxes, from places such as Home Goods & Pier 1. Oh, my. I think it is my latest obsession, but who has storage room in their home for all that bulky stuff!? Gift bags are a safer bet, but I do love how the fancy boxes look under the tree & around the home during the holidays. They are artsy & beautiful, & very festive.

As for the little ones, I agree that depending on their age, it is better to wrap. But I get around that by using delicate festive tissue paper & taping that around the item, then putting it in the box or gift bag. Then I whisper to the kiddies that if Santa sees that they tore the paper and peeked, they won't get their gift--better not! That usually does the trick

But there is the occasional extra-risk-taking kiddie that this method won't work with, and then the only thing left to do is wrap with massive amounts of industrial-strength tape, or hold their gifts in a secret location & only bring them out when it is time for the grand opening, lol.

Happy Holidaze, everyone!

[Nicnacsmommy]

While I think gift bags are very pretty, I always use gift wrap on children's gifts. I love watching kids unwrap gifts and all of the paper scattered around.

[GCR18]

Both.