(ENDED) Countdown Contest: 9 Days Until Christmas

[missangie]

I'm not done shopping yet, but it's time to start wrapping! Today I want to hear your ideas for beautiful gifts. Sometimes I wrap, sometimes I gift bag, but sometimes I like to be creative. What are your preferences? Do you have any fun ideas for creating beautiful gifts?

To enter today's contest tell us your plan for getting all of those gifts wrapped and share with us your fun and creative ideas. I'm ready to take notes!

One winner will be chosen randomly at contest end.

Standard rules apply:

http://www.sunshinerewardsforum.com/...ad.php?t=17569

[pbhall13]

Although I am guilty of using giftbags........I do love to wrap gifts.......recently I decided that I was going to keep things simple (but beautiful) and have a 'signature' look to the presents I wrap. Since my favortie color is Orange that became my sig. color. I like to use simple brown craft paper (it has a nice heavy weight to it) and then I use an array of orange ribbons the I have bought. I enjoy making homemade bows. and sometimes I add a bit of greenery (from my backyard) to the holiday package. It is very simple I think it looks beautiful (and everyone knows that it is from me...well those who know me well)

[Pooh's Pal]

Last year right after the holidays I purchase MANY Felt gift bags to use this year....they all have cute sayings on them like;

BELIVE IN THE MAGIC!
FRIENDS ARE THE BEST PART OF CHRISTMAS!
DEAR SANTA, IS IT TOO LATE TO BE GOOD?
AND
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I also took pieces of felt and but the names on them with glitter glue waited for them to dry and attached them with a cute pin, mostly Disney pins, lol

great holiday colors and most have arrived in FLA now, at least that's what the USPS web site tracking says.

[disney_girl]

For some strange reason, I love wrapping! For our house, each person has a different wrapping paper so that it makes it easier and no need for tags (which DD thinks she should eat). Nothing incredibly fancy there though.

Now that DS is 4, he wants to "help". So, this year I decided to wrap the gifts for grandparents, aunts, uncles and close friends in the heavy brown paper type. I add ribbon and bows to dress them up and then let DS add tags, Christmas stickers and drawings. Now, they aren't the prettiest, but they are certainly festive and DS has a great time! And of course the recipients love their personalized gift wrap! We started using those craft foam sticky shapes and he makes a Christmas scene- really cute!

[tinad171972]

Well I am done shopping and wrapping, wrapped the last 2 today. I was waiting for them to get here. I wait for the kids to go to school but need to be done before my youngest gets home from preschool at 11:00. I put on a CD of Christmas music, set up everything on the living room floor and wrap as many as I can in 2 hours. Then I have to hide and put everything away as if it was never there. I love to wrap presents, I hardly ever use gift bags.

[Arky]

I love to wrap gifts. My DH knows this and tomorrow night he will take the kids out and I will have my own wrapping party. A quiet house, Josh Groban's Christmas CD playing, sitting in front of my beautiful tree, wrapping all the fun stuff for the kids. I can't wait!!!!!

[arob414]

I used to love to wrap but since I have gotten older, I have started hating it. For friends, etc I use bags. For the girls, before they discovered who Santa was, I only wrapped the gifts from me. Santa always left "his" gifts out in plain site, unwrapped. This year, I boxed everything up, taped securely and let the girls wrap each other's gifts. They are still young enough that they love to wrap.

[Soccer Princess]

I am a horrible wrapper! I am mainly a gift bag girl, but on the rare occasion I do wrap a gift I like to add a little something with the bow like a holiday cookie cutter or ornament.

[missymouse]

Because my kids are such snoops I now code the presents. Sometimes it is by wrapping paper, sometimes by bows, sometimes I draw pictures somewhere on the package, but NOTHING has names on it. Then on Christmas morning I reveal the code and the kids scramble to find their gifts.

[PSL1013]

I don't like to wrap at all...what ever fit's in a bag, goes in a bag! I do like to pick out pretty bags with matching tissue paper though. For the gifts that I actually have to wrap, I've used the same giant roll of wrapping paper that I bought at Costco for three straight years now and I probably have enough left to do next years wrapping too! :rotfl: I guess I should start bagging, not too much time left! :D

[luvdisney00]

I used to love to wrap, but Dec. in our house has gotten so busy that it's hard. I use some gift bags and usually wrap each of the girls Santa presents in a different wrap. My older 2 don't believe in Santa anymore, but they put on a good show for their 5 year old sister. I think I should get off this computer and start wrapping right now while I'm home alone....

[OhMari]

I put from Santa on gifts I give everyone.

My kids all starting laughing last year when we opened presents.

They couldn't wait to see if "Santa" delivered the presents again.

[JillyFish]

I used to love wrapping when I still had time to be creative. Each year's wrapping would have kind of a theme and I would wrap everything alike or matching.

Fast forward about 10 years and 3 kids later and I'm lucky just to get it all wrapped.

I wrap everything except the kid's gifts by myself...bags when I can....wrap when I have to. We started a tradition once we had kids that DH would help me wrap the kid's gifts.....so he would know what they were getting. LOL!

[MdCaterer]

I like to wrap but time seems to get away from me. SO the best thing I put on each present is a gift tag made by my son. He is a very good artisit and can draw Santa, trees, bells, reindeer, snowmen, etc effortlessly. The tags are really awesome and they are personalized for each recipient!

I got an email the other day from his teacher and the subject line was just "William" I thought, oh, oh something happened at school. However, when I read the note it was to tell me he had drawn an awesome Santa at school that day for a thank you card the class was sending to a local author :)

[leelee9878]

I like wrapping gifts...almost done with all!!!

[sselig2000]

I hate to wrap, (and am not very good at it:) fortunately, DD 24 loves to wrap and does an incredibly beautiful job, so she has been wrapping for me the last couple of years, I even make her wrap her own. I put them in boxes that disguise what they are and away she goes:banana: Yay Holly:cooldance:
I do have one trick I thought of this year though, I ordered a tower from Cheryl and Co, and it was so beautiful that I am going to reuse the tower boxes.

[saffymom]

Add me to the list of people who hate to wrap! I used to get excited about it, but now with two kids and a new house, I just don't have the time to make them pretty. This year, I'm wrapping them, but no ribbons or anything fancy (actually, I still haven't found the ribbon since the move!). Just a bow and a name tag. I would just gift bag it all, but I can't find those either! LOL!!:p

[sammielynn]

I love to wrap my gifts! I always use two different types of paper in solid colors(like red and green, or gold and sliver, silver and blue or plain brown paper) and then I tie fabric ribbons for each package. I love the ribbon with the wires, makes my bows look so much better. I use several different colors and patterns for the ribbon so the packages all look different.

[~Kathie]

I don't hate to wrap, I just don't have as much time as I used to.

When the kids were little all their presents from Santa were wrapped in Santa paper. Each present had their initial on it on masking tape. It's a tradition my father started with us when we were kids and my son continues to use the same method with his children.

For my nieces I use gift bags. My siblings and I do a Yankee Swap and I wrap those presents and make pretty bows for them. I do the same for my mother and my in-laws. Wrapped with pretty bows.

For DH, some gets wrapped with bows and some without bows. That reminds me.......I still have a lot of wrapping to do.

[bbangel]

One year I did a sustainable Christmas and wrapped everything with scrap pieces of fabric and tied them with ribbons. This year I'm afraid I did simple gift wrap or gift bags.

[gpp2001]

I like to wrap - I'm just not very creative!!! I only have DD and DH to wrap for - each gets a different wrapping paper and DD gets a different paper if the present came from me or from Santa!!

[mia214jia]

I try to always use different wrapping paper for presents for the kids "from Santa" and then different paper for other presents. I usually send the girls presents for school in bags since it is easier for them to keep up with.
~ In the past we have always put together those that are ackward or rather large to make room for us 5 to be around the tree. But this year, we are wrapping ALL of them.

[jl8595]

I don't mind wrapping, but I definitely struggle to find time. So my solution is to ask DH to help me. He actually enjoys wrapping (strange man that he is, LOL) and does a better job than I do. We don't bag anything because I love the concept of shredding the paper off a present. I know my kiddos prefer it. Santa presents aren't wrapped - they are under the tree "naked" on Christmas morning.

[MKCP84]

I too code my gifts for my DDs. One year I wrote their names in white crayon and then on Christmas they went over with a marker to "reveal" the names. I have also done numbers and different letters of the alphabet. This year I was wrapping while watching Survivor so I named one DD's gifts Gabon and the other's Nobag. Now they are trying to figure out who is Gabon and who is Nobag. Ok, I guess a little corny this year but it keeps them guessing.

[kimntrent]

I actually portrayed a gift wrapper for several holiday seasons when I was in high school at a local high end store so my gift wrapping skills are top notch. With that being said I annoy hubby because I wrap so meticulously. Every corner perfect everything has to be perfect. For several years we have had a Mardi Gras Themed tree. So we try to stay with that for gift wrap. This year we are doing purple and silver textured paper we bought at home goods. Then it will most likely have grosgrain ribbon on it and a bow. All perfect around the bottom of the tree.

[mollyeilis]

We only give gifts in our own little family (though we actually do have something for MIL this year), so I just like lots of color in the pile 'o gifts! I generally buy a little bit of paper each year, and then I have tons left over from even 10 years ago, and then I just play and try to make things bright and pretty.

[askomsky]

I have to keep it straight with three kids who still believe in Santa (well not sure about the oldest but he's not letting on if he does) so I have 3 different types for each one, and they all get wrapped in the same theme/color for that child. Then I have to be sneaky (since I do wrap Santa gifts, kids get up before us and I WANT to see their expression when they get their Santa gifts, if i didn't wrap them we would only see the 2nd expression) and either find a Santa wrapping paper I haven't used before or a new roll for the Santa gifts. I used to do bows and ribbons, but I just don't have the time.

I don't mind wrapping it's the pulling everything out of hiding, wrapping it then putting it back! I would start to put some of their stuff out but DS I know will get pick it up and go "video game" "xxxx" and try to guess even if it's NOT his! :D

[lkturner]

recycle the comic strip from the sunday papers for children's gifts. :)

[Alice28]

I enjoy wrapping! I do the adult gifts in certain papers that coordinate and then the kids each get their own paper that their gifts are wrapped in. It's fun! I rarely do gift bags- they're too peekable!

[mom2ian]

I try to wrap "Santa" gifts with the same paper and then items from us and any other relatives that get shipped out unwrapped go in gift bags or different paper. DH and I usually do it at the last minute after the kids go to bed.

[MrsWonka]

I do a combination of things. I wrap, I use bags and I have these cute little boxes that I tape shut and throw a label on. I usually stock up on my bags and boxes at the end of the season before when Target puts everything 75% off. Then I hold them for the following year. I always buy 1 roll of "Santa" paper (his presents are wrapped only in this paper so it doesn't match ours). I also love to make gift baskets, you can get some really good deals on baskets at craft stores and just fill the bottom with paper if you need to and viola, beautiful look without spending an arm and leg.

[rumrunnergirl]

I usually gift wrap although sometimes I bag. I am not that good at wrapping. I feel I've done a good job if none of the present is showing and the bow matches the paper, LOL!

[Blessing and Miracle]

I love to wrap presents. My intentions are to wrap each and every gift with a special touch. I gather everything together, put on the Christmas music, make me some hot chocolate and then begin my wrapping. Normally I do this when the kids are away at school. It's my time and I make the best of it and enjoy every moment of it. Sometimes, I may have too many gifts or waited too long so after awhile, the wrapping isn't so special. LOL.

[linanglab]

Like some of you, I also LOVE to wrap. Each family member has a different wrapping paper with a number on it, so they all get #1 present, then #2 present, etc. Keeps it easy to "match" up the presents to be equal every time the kids open them.

[chipndale]

I don't hate to wrap, I just don't seem to have the time to get all the wrapping done. So DH does most of the wrapping. He used to wrap all the presents for his mother when he stopped believing in Santa. He loves to wrap and he is so much faster and better than I am. He insists that all gifts all wrapped and have ribbon and bows on them. Over the years he has gotten use to his gifts in a bag but he knows that a wrapped gift from me is special because this girl does not do much wrapping!

[FigmentFever]

Everytime I see baskets on clearance, I buy them for future gift projects.

I love making up baskets of little things that people will enjoy. Anytime I need a little filler, I have a list of everyone's favorite candy. Most like Almond Joy, so I keep clipping those coupons.

[spring]

I purchased a beautiful snowflake octagon-shaped boxes to put use as Christmas packaging this year. The boxes were all alike, in graduated sizes, nestled inside of the the next larger one. In the center top of each box lid is an inlaid snow scene in 3-D, covered by a clear plastic cover. I used the largest boxes to pile a bunch of assorted gifts in it for each grandchild. The smallest one was used for a beautiful pair of earrings I purchased through My Jewelry Box for my Mom. I do use gift bags and wrap other presents, but I must say, these snowflake boxes really stand out.:sunshine:

[chrissylou2]

I love to wrap with my favorite Christmas CD and enjoy all that Christmas spirit but when it comes to Santa's gift they are left unwrapped for the kids to see when they first walk in the room. I do you use gift bags for my friends and for any clothing i might give.



Chrissy

[sabrina90744]

I hate wrapping :headache:!!! Could be because I am normally up at 3 a.m. on Christmas Eve wrapping the Santa gifts!

[catnapfan]

I wrap everything. Nothing fancy- no ribbons or bows. I use two or three different papers that are coordinating then I spend most of my time arranging the gifts just right under the tree. Everytime a new gift is added I have to rearrange all the gifts again.

[speechteachri]

I do NOT enjoy wrapping, and consequently, I end up doing lots of wrapping on Christmas eve. I do like to use pretty bags though.

My secret to nice looking presents when I have to use paper.....I have my mom make the bows!!!!;)

[fourfoxesinpa]

I'm not very creative but think the person who invented the gift bag is/was a genius!!!

Something I do is...wrap DD's gifts from "Santa" in a girly character paper and DS in a boy's theme. Then, I can avoid name tags - one less step is better for me!

My mom, however, used to have a great way to wrap the standard shirt boxes. She'd make them look like men's dress shirts. She used ribbon to make the placket and collar and glue buttons down the front. They were awesome and sort of looked like these on HGTV's website.

http://www.hgtv.com/holidays-occasions/unique-gift-wrap-toppers/index.html

[shmily1]

I wrap everything and since I've always helped my mom wrap packages and I'm now 40, I've developed quite a "quickness" about it. I have learned from my step-daughter-in-law that going to the costume shop and buying big rolls of tulle are a great way to decorate!! She uses it for decorating for parties, packages, and anything else she can put tulle on!!! Anyway, you can wrap it around the box after it is wrapped, a color coordinated piece of tulle, and then tie a beautiful bow with it!! Add in a little ribbon to hold on a cardstock tag and voila!! a beautifully festive package!!!

[mmm611]

I like wrapping, but the most creative member of my familly is definitely my dad. A few years ago, my brother bought some of those light up candy canes for the yard as presents. Dad and to get very creative to wrap those things because they're such an unusual shape. So, he took a left over wrapping paper tube and a box and used those. Then, to keep things interesting, he added a few other decoy tubes to other presents. It's hysterical because he and his older brother now try to outdo each other with how creative they can wrap stuff, but decoy tubes are definitely a signature item in my family!

Here's an example.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v19/martha611/Quilts/IMG_0001.jpg

You have to be careful because once in a while, someone will throw the present in the decoy tube, so the box is actually a decoy box!!!

[llmedic36]

I go into the living room that we never use and just start wrapping! It is much easier when I do it all alone and all at one time!! Lynn

[faithhope]

sometimes we wrap in pretty paper, and sometimes it is a paper bag that gets cut up, decorated and then used as personal wrapping paper. The kids love to color and write messages on the bag/paper and personalize it.

[Weluvdisny]

It's a team effort at our house. It's my job to get clothes, etc. in the boxes and then after my DH gets the wrapping done, it's my turn again to finish it up with bows and tags. He puts an initial on the corner of the box after he wraps it in case he gets ahead of me and forgets what he wraps.

[DarcyDog]

I LOVE to wrap! I set up a wrapping station in my basement and take all of my Christmas DVD's down to watch while I'm wrapping.

As for the actual wrapping, I always buy the wire edged ribbon from the craft and fabric stores. The Christmas ribbon is always on sale during the holidays and the price goes even lower after Christmas (that's when I stock up). After wrapping the package, I wrap a length of ribbon around it and tie a simple bow (as you do when tying your shoe laces), and then fluff and shape it a bit. Those shiny glittery ribbons look so beautiful on the package! Much prettier than the peel and stick bows. The great thing about this is, presents can be stacked, packed and transported anywhere and it doesn't matter if the bows get crushed. You simply fluff up the bow when you put the package out. Even better is collecting the ribbons after the package is unwrapped. You can roll it back up and save it for next year!

The end result is that you always have beautiful looking packages that will travel well, and you are recycling some of the ribbon!

Happy wrapping everyone!

[Sunni]

I like to wrap....but I am like Lisa...sometimes I wait and have too much to do at once. I use paper, boxes, gift bags...bows and ribbon...sometimes I decorate paper. I collect things all year usually. I tried to wrap things so no one has a clue what it might be. I have even used a long sleeve tshirt as a wrapping.... For our stuffers and Santa present...there is always special paper just for those to make it extra special...I still do that for married daughter and husband and now there's the baby. :)

[fanofree]

I wouldn't say I love to wrap - but I get a certain amount of satisfaction from it. And, I do almost all of it. I wrap the gifts I buy, those my Mom bought, Dad's gifts to Mom, most of my daughter's gifts, the couple of items from my grandmother (she gives cash, but gives me a couple of bucks "to go and get everyone a little something") and anything that my brother buys that won't fit in a ready wrapped box or gift bag.

I use a combination of wrap and gift bags - I re-use the gift bags for years. I like to use about six or seven different papers so we have an explosion of color under the tree. Bows and tags are coordinated as best as I can.

I usually wrap at the dining room table with XM tuned to the Christmas channel.

We tend to go a little overboard at Christmas and the gift pile leaks out from under the tree in front of the book case. It is a site to see!

[mseg16222]

I like to have the house to myself and put the gifts in groups, (example husband all together, 1st kid, in-laws ect.), They each get there own wrapping paper. Then I put very cute decorative bows on the kids gifts. They open in order of bow size the biggest bow is last, this is there big gift. THey look forward to it every year to put the gifts in the order to open because I have them intermixed all under tree.

[tarheelpat]

DH and I have always wrapped all the kids' stuff, even Santa. Every year, even though we say we're going to get an early start and that we're going to buy less, we end up with a mountain of stuff to wrap on Christmas Eve. We lock ourselves in our bedroom and wrap like crazy until the wee hours. When the boys get up the stockings are full and a big pile of stuff has magically appeared under the tree. I honestly think we would miss it if we didn't do it.

[sarah4770]

My kids are a little older. I usually wrap a few presents and put them under the tree before christmas. But I use different paper( usually santa's are on the wrapping paper) on the presents I put out on Christmas eve, so it looks like Santa came when the kids wake up in the morning. Even though my kids are older, they still get excited on christmas morning.

[zoodoyle]

I'm done wrapping :love: We get it all done before Thanksgiving, so we can deliver all the gifts to my parents house where we'll be for Christmas. I'm not terribly fond of wrapping, and the kids are too young to actually even notice how a present is wrapped (since it takes only a second to remove it!!), so I do the gift bags too. And the "Santa" presents are always wrapped in paper with Santas on it - original, I know ;)

[m 'n c]

Well normally I wrap ahead of time - as I buy the gifts - but this year I am behind. Still don't have the tree up and not a one of the presents are wrapped. I normally just buy 3 or 4 rolls of paper at Dollar Tree and rotate them when wrapping so that everyone has a variety.

[bartleby1]

I have to admit, I hate to wrap. Usually I procrastinate and end up sitting up half the night wrapping the evening before Christmas eve. Christmas eve we go to my inlaws and don't get home until after midnight so I have to get it done before we go there. Every year I tell myself to get it done early, but it just doesn't happen!:blush:

We really don't have a system or special way to wrap. I love using lots of different paper so it looks really jumbled up under the tree. For some reason, I won't use gift bags for Christmas. I'm not sure why, but I like to have everything wrapped in paper which is strange because I almost always use gift bags for birthday gifts throughout the year.

[missangie]

Thanks for all of the great ideas! I love wrapping gifts so that the outside is as fun and exciting as the gift inside.

Our winner is Post #37. . .Spring

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