Five Environmentally Friendly Holiday Gift Wrapping Ideas

The holiday season is a time for spending time with your family and is often celebrated with the exchanging of gifts. Many people want to buy or make gifts that are creative and inexpensive. Buy why stop at the gifts? You can create creative and inexpensive gift wrapping as well. One way to create unique and inexpensive wrapping paper would be to use recycled materials. By using recycled materials you not only save money, but can help the environment as well. Here are five ideas on how to create beautiful holiday gift wrappers that are environmentally friendly.

1. Fabric Gift Bags. If you are an avid sewer, then chances are you have scrap pieces of fabric lying around. You can use this fabric to create beautiful holiday gift bags that can be later reused by the recipient. The fabric gift bags can either be recycled for other presents or the recipient can use them to hold other things. You can use extra ribbon to tie off the top of the bag or sew in a drawstring closure. These gift bags may make great gift wrap for young children’s presents as sometimes young children have a hard time ripping off wrapping paper. The child can then use the bag to house their toys.

2. Newspaper. You can recycle newspaper by turning it into fun and creative gift wrapping paper. Colorful comics from the Sunday paper would make a great choice. The food and wine section would also make a great choice. Not only will the recipient get a gift but a recipe that they may want to try as well.

3. Brown Paper Grocery Bags. Brown paper grocery bags are well known for their versatility. These bags can be used to make book covers, craft projects, and environmentally friendly wrapping paper as well. The great thing about using brown paper grocery bags is that you can decorate the paper yourself. Or you could have the kids draw on their own designs. You can have your children create painted handprints on the paper, then write: To: xxx in one handprint and From: xxx in the other. Brown paper grocery bags can also be used to wrap those odd shaped presents that are awkward to try and wrap. Place the present inside of the bag and fold down the top. Use a hole puncher to punch two holes through the top of the bag where it is folded and use ribbon to tie it shut. You could also use scrap pieces of yarn as well.

4. Your Children’s Artwork. For smaller presents you can use artwork that your children have created. Children, like mine, create many masterpieces and sometimes it can be hard to decide what to do with them all. This would be a great way to use their artwork, meanwhile sharing their masterpiece with friends and family. Its two presents in one.

5. Gift Baskets. You can pick up used baskets at your local thrift store or at yard sales. You can fill these baskets up with homemade goodies for an inexpensive present idea. There are many recipes for making homemade spa treatments, mixes in a jar, etc. The recipient can later use the basket to create their own gift basket for someone else or to use it to decorate and/or organize their home. There’s nothing to throw away.

These ideas can be used for any special occasion throughout the year, not just during the holiday season. Creating your own gift wrap is a smart idea. It allows you to be creative, environmentally friendly, and frugal all at once.