Giving gifts is a big part of the holiday season. Besides decorating and spending time with loved ones its my favorite thing to do. I absolutely love giving presents. But one thing I love even more is wrapping them. I suppose some people are not amused by gift wrapping, especially if they have stacks of them waiting to go under the tree. But stressing over the holidays shouldn’t be an option. It’s a time for cheer, happiness and lots of love.

Here are some easy and unique ideas that will make your gift wrapping experience quick and fun.

Eco – Friendly

For all those green people in your life, why not express their love for the Earth by presenting their gift in an Earth friendly package. I am sure they will appreciate the gift much more. Try using brown packing paper or simple white recycled printing paper to wrap it. Instead of using ribbon, hemp string or a natural fiber to tie around it will do the trick. You can leave it as is or design it yourself with stamps or drawings.

Consider it a blank canvas so get creative. You can even get the kids involved. Have them draw and color on the paper before you wrap it. Color Tip: robins egg blue or a shade like it is a great match for brown if you choose to use packing paper.

Reuse & Recycle

Considering people tear up the gift wrap anyway why not save some money and time and use magazine or newspaper pages. You can find some really cool imagery in magazines, especially the art and design ones. Real Simple, Oprah, Ready Made and Elle Decor are some great ones.

If you are wrapping small gifts than one page should do it. If not than just collect a few cool pages and connect them with some tape or staples. Depending on the pages you choose, either should look cool and different.

Know some vintage lovers? Look through old magazines for the perfect images that will set them back in time. For gift tags, you can use old holiday cards cut to size or cut cute shapes from the magazines’ covers. They are made a little thicker and should work just fine.

Classic Style + Modern Flair

If you are in love with the classic style of gift wrap but want to be a little different no worries. It’s always easy to add modern or eclectic touches to traditional design. You just have to be careful not to go overboard.

Try to experiment with color and aesthetic but trying new ways to wrap ribbons around the gift. Once you choose your paper, figure out where you want to take the story. What does the paper say through its color? For example; if it has holiday trees in blue and white then try using an unexpected color like orange or purple for the ribbon.

To get creative, wrap the gift numerous times instead of just once. I’m not saying put it in a straight jacket but two or three times will add a unique touch. Instead of using a bow, try another interesting and uncommon object like a small toy or flower. Pine needles from the tree would be work well too. It would be like two gifts in one!