Gift-wrapping tips: neat parcels without the stress

A well-wrapped present makes even a small gift feel special. You don’t need much: paper, a sharp pair of scissors, a little tape and something to tie it with.

The basic box wrap

1. Measure before you cut. Roll the box across the paper: you need enough to go all the way round with a few centimetres of overlap, and enough at each end to cover a little over half the box’s depth.
2. Fold the cut edge under before you tape it down along the middle — it hides the rough edge.
3. Fold the ends: push the sides in to make two triangular flaps, then fold the top flap down and the bottom flap up.
4. Use less tape by placing it where the folds meet, or tie the parcel with string instead.

Awkward shapes

• Soft things (clothes, cuddly toys): fold into a neat rectangle in tissue first, or use a gift bag you can reuse.
• Bottles: roll in a tube of paper and gather the top with string or ribbon.
• Round things: put them in a box, or wrap in fabric and tie at the top.
• Very big things: don’t wrap — hide it, put a bow on it and leave a trail of clues.

Wrapping that’s easier on the bin

Not all wrapping paper can be recycled. WRAP recommends the scrunch test: if the paper stays scrunched in a ball, it can usually be recycled; if it springs back, it probably can’t. Wales Recycles adds that foil and glitter paper, sticky tape, ribbons and bows can’t be recycled, and some councils don’t take wrapping paper at all.

Ideas that cut waste:

• Plain brown paper and string, decorated with stamps or a sprig of greenery.
• Fabric wraps tied in the Japanese furoshiki style — the wrap becomes part of the present.
• Reused gift bags, ribbons and tissue (WRAP suggests saving them for next year).
• Gift tags cut from last year’s cards.

Finishing touches

• Write tags before you wrap, so the right present goes to the right person.
• Keep a “wrapping kit” box with scissors, tape, string and tags to save searching on Christmas Eve.
• If you’re posting presents, wrap them in a sturdy box with padding — gift wrap alone won’t survive the post. See when to order for Christmas.