If you’re anything like me, you love to give a gift but hate the thought of wrapping it. It takes time, patience, and can get tedious if you cut a piece too small or the gift is odd-shaped; never mind if you run out of tape (or patience). Gift wrapping can be made much easier if you have a couple of tricks up your sleeve to make it fun and easy. Luckily, the Redditors at the r/lifehacks subreddit agree, and posted this video with a few simple tips that will make wrapping presents easier.
Here are a few ways to deal with some of the gift-wrapping challenges we all face during the holiday season.
Paper too short
If you have a gift and notice you cut your paper too short to meet around the sides, take the box and rotate it diagonally. Then, grab each corner of the paper and bring it up to meet in the middle. Bring each side up and tape it (they won’t align exactly, but they will cover the entire box). Turn it over and stick a bow on top, and suddenly the too-short paper worked expertly.
Easier opening
If you want to make a gift easier to open for, say, a little kid or grandparent, cut a piece of gift wrap and place tape down the middle affixed to the back side of the paper, leaving a little extra tape sticking out of one side. Wrap the gift as you normally would, and when you turn it over, you’ll see the bit of tape sticking out. All the recipient needs to do is pull backward on the tape, and it opens right up! Zero fuss or mess.
Using ribbon as a handle
If you’ve always wanted to use ribbon but can’t seem to make it work, wrap three sides of a gift, leaving the fourth side (end) longer than the other end. Lay out a piece of ribbon and begin folding the paper over the ribbon until it’s flush with the wrapped box. Fold over each end towards each other and tie the ribbon together to form a gorgeous handle. It’s like a built-in gift bag!
Closing a gift bag
Gift bags are super easy vessels to give a gift, but they don’t stay closed, so hiding your present can be a challenge. An easy way to ensure no one sees your gift before you present it is to grab the end of the ribbon or string handle from the inside of the bag. Gently thread it through the holes on the opposite side of the bag, and repeat the same on the other side. Now, pull the half circles created on either side of the bag, and it closes completely—no peeking again.
These hacks are so easy that you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of them yourself. We promise this will lead to a much less anxiety-inducing gift-wrapping session this year for everyone involved.
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