I love the holidays. Something about the weather, cozy vibes, and general cheer all around just fills me with happiness. I also love gift-giving. Finding the right gift is something I enjoy all year round, but especially during the holidays. With gift giving though, comes gift wrapping, which can be very expensive and very wasteful. Over the years, I have found a few ways to lessen the cost of wrapping and lessen the waste.
Pillowcases
So, this one I only use with my immediate family as it is the most mundane of the ways I am going to mention. We have a lot of pillows at my house, so we also have a lot of pillowcases. My family started wrapping presents in pillowcases. This is super easy and provides virtually no cleanup and best of all, no waste. If you want to add a cute touch you could always wrap some twine at the ends and add a festive tag.
Brown Grocery Bags
This is my preferred way of reducing cost and waste, while also still making the wrapping cute. A lot of grocery stores are using brown paper bags now, save those! I personally have too many Trader Joe’s bags to count. I will cut up these bags and flip them inside out so the writing is on the inside. Next, grab those art supplies and channel your inner Jess from New Girl, go crazy! You can do generic holiday drawings, maybe some string lights and pine trees, or you can get more personalized and draw something special related to the person you are giving the gift to. This is such a fun way to add more personalization to any gift and also a more eco-friendly way to celebrate holidays.
Cards
While this doesn’t pertain necessarily to the wrapping, it is my favorite way to add personalization. I always go hard on my cards, whether it’s for holidays, birthdays, or just because. Rest assured a card for me is going to have 101 reasons why I love you and think you are the bee’s knees. Maybe that’s the writer in me. I always find cards to be more special than the wrapping anyway.
I hope these tips and tricks help you knock the holidays out of the park on a budget while helping the Earth!
I hope these tips and tricks help you knock the holidays out of the park on a budget while helping the Earth!