Mindful gift-giving can go beyond just picking thoughtful and high quality gifts. This year, why not extend that thoughtfulness to the packaging as well! In an effort to reduce waste this holiday season (and for gift-giving year round), here are some creative and beautiful wrapping ideas that are a bit...out of the box! 

To find even more ideas, visit our Mindful Gift Wrapping Pinterest Board

1. Use part of the actual gift as the wrapping.

There are so many ways to add a fun spin to a gift by wrapping a present in...another present. 

  • A blanket displayed in a basket, a mug filled with treats, a kitchen container filled with cute measuring cups and kitchen gadgets, fuzzy socks wrapped in a beautiful scarf. 

2. Use things you already have around the house to wrap your present.

Next to basically using nothing extra to wrap your present, another way to reduce waste is to use something you already have. 

  • Art drawing/paintings from children make thoughtful and unique gift wrap. Not only are you re-purposing paper, you are covering the gift in something that the child will see and feel ownership in gifting. 
  • Re-purpose old newspaper, boxes, containers etc. There are so many ways to re-purpose things we may have around the house, and another fun way to involve children in wrapping gifts. They can color on old boxes, draw on the opposite side of printed paper, or even use more effort to think of ways to up-cycle everyday items that would otherwise be discarded. The art of creative wrapping can be a fun family activity all on its own and a great way to encourage children to use their imaginations! 

3. Use Fabric.

Wrapping gifts with fabric has become an art form in Japan called “furoshiki”. You can purchase or make special fabric to use for gift-wrapping, but you can also just use sheets, pillowcases, clothes, and even socks to wrap presents. There are easy tutorials for just about every size present! Once the presents have been opened, you can put away your fabrics until next year and have no waste!  Another option would be to purchase or make high quality cloth gift sacks to re-use year after year if you want the wrapping itself to be easy. 

4. Get your extended family and friends on board 

  • Buy or make a family set of high quality cloth gift bags that can be used year after year as they get passed back and forth between families 
  • Instead of wrapping things individually, have a few larger cloth bags where you pull things out one by one unwrapped to give out at family gatherings
  • If you have expert gift wrappers in your family, you may even want to make a theme for wrapping each year and see what creative things people come up with!

5. Keep a spot in your home for reusable gift-giving materials.

Have a specific place you can put a used box, an old scarf, your reusable bags that aren't getting used, or some extra material. Next time you need to wrap a present you can reach for your reusable materials first. 

A little planning in using eco-friendly gift wrap materials will not only produce less waste, but can be a source of fun and creativity in giving thoughtful and uniquely wrapped gifts! 

Enjoy the journey! 

~Sarah 

 

 

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