For my sister’s 30th birthday this month, I am sending her a package of 30 gifts, which I will not reveal here in case she is reading this blog. (J, you’d better be reading my blog!) I will say that planning the gift was fun. However, the most creative part of the process ended up being the wrapping.
I wanted each item wrapped separately to prolong the joy and suspense of opening, but I felt guilty about using so much paper. According to the EPA, holiday waste, including giftwrap, contributes to a 25% spike in curbside trash volume between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Then I remembered a recent Christmas present from a friend: candles wrapped inside colorful cloth napkins. The idea inspired me to new heights. What could I find around the house that might jut be tossed in the trash otherwise?
A quick search in the recycle bin offered up newspaper and a grocery circular. A good start. I enlisted Sofie’s help with ideas (tissues! napkins! washcloths!) and the concept of recycling materials as giftwrap grew. So when my sister opens her birthday package, she will find a collection of items wrapped with the following materials:
- Graph paper from an old budget sheet
- Tissue paper
- Fabric scraps
- Sheets of white, foam-like packaging material
- Rubberbands (from heads of broccoli)
- Plastic shopping bag
- Reusable gift bag
- Brown paper bag
- Scott toilet paper packaging (this ought to get a laugh)
- Plain box
- Hemp twine
- 100% recycled gift wrap from World Wildlife Fund
- Magazine pages
- Bubble wrap
Sofie drew the line at using her school paintings as wrapping, but she did select one of them to crop and frame as a gift. Part of the fun was getting specific in regard to my sister’s interests. For example, using a newspaper section with a baseball article and a magazine page depicting an exotic travel location.
I don’t usually enjoy wrapping gifts, but recycled materials introduced a fun element, turning the chore into a game. If I had done my research before buying the 30 gifts, I would have discovered furoshiki, which is the Japanese art of fabric giftwrap. The joy of furoshiki is that the wrapping becomes part of the present.
Now if I can just figure out how to convince Sofie that Santa’s elves also use toilet paper and magazines at Christmas…
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Great ideas!