Reusing wrapping paper, gift bags, etc. has been on my mind lately as my immediate family celebrates all its birthdays within six weeks, beginning the first week of November, and as all the holiday sale ads have been coming at me fast and furious and I’m starting to think about holiday gifts. I’m wondering, do a lot of people reuse wrapping paper, tissue and gift bags or am I in the minority?
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For example, on Christmas morning if you walked into our living room after we’ve opened gifts, you’re likely to see a collection of package bows on the coffee table we’ve deemed worth saving; on the sofa, a stack of flattened wrapping paper and tissue we’ve also deemed worth saving; on the floor, flattened gift bags lined up inside a discarded gift box; and not far away, a trash bag where we’ve tossed tissue paper and shiny wrapping paper that’s too ripped to save and not suitable for recycling. Regular wrapping paper that’s not being saved, and most large gift boxes, end up in the garage recycling bin.
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All the stuff we’re saving goes back into a plastic tub in the garage, to make an appearance next year. Does anyone else do that?
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I’m trying to imagine why someone would not be a wrapping saver:
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Are they embarrassed that if they do so in front of a lot of people, like at a shower or party, that they’ll look weird or like a cheapskate? In this day and age of more people being eco-conscious? At the very least, gift bags should be saved, as they usually hold up well over time and can be used to tote gifts home if you’re receiving gifts elsewhere. (And gift bags can be elaborate and expensive. Why fill up a landfill with such “nice” trash when you can save them, and save money the next time you need a fancy gift bag?)
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Or, is it a space issue—no room to save? My guess is that if you give gifts and like to do your own wrapping, you already have a storage space for ribbon, tags, tissue paper, etc. so it might be easy, as you use the new stuff, to fill in the available space with reused stuff. Under-bed storage boxes are great for this sort of thing (especially if you want to wrap nearby and close your bedroom door to keep prying family eyes from seeing their gifts); I currently save my non-Christmas wrappings/bags in a three-drawer rolling cart in my laundry room, under a tiny table that’s there. It’s not all reused stuff in my “wrapping cart” but rather a combo of the two—I buy some new stuff when there are good sales to make sure I have enough materials on hand. And having stuff already on hand is such a huge time-saver, especially when you need to get a last-minute gift together—a definite advantage of reusing. (My dream is to have a wall wrapping organizer something like this someday.)
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Maybe a person doesn’t save wrapping/gift bags because they think they might end up giving someone a gift in the same bag that that person gave to them? That could happen, but…doubtful it will be the same tissue paper inside or gift tag, and besides—imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. (And we all often shop at the same stores, anyway, so who cares if it’s the same bag? It’s the gift inside that really matters, anyway.)
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Or maybe it’s that the non-reuser loves to wrap gifts so much that they think it won’t be any fun to use “old” materials… well, I love to wrap gifts and I think it’s often more fun with reuse items, because if you really save and amass a pretty good collection of stuff, especially package toppers, no two packages will ever look alike and you can get really creative while striving to make it look good.
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Speaking of creativity, used wrapping paper, especially small pieces or half sheets, can be used in other ways than just covering a package. Here are a few ideas:
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- Make gift tags. Cut out squares or use a tag punch like this one, write on the tag, punch a hole in the corner for tying it to the package or tape it on. (A tag punch is one of the few things I kept from my scrapbooking days; with one push, they instantly cut out the shape of a tag in paper and most come with a built-in hole punch. A great reuser tool, not to mention a fun gift idea.) I also save the fronts of holiday cards we’ve received to cut up into gift tags as well.
- Use it to line drawers
- Wad it up to use as packing padding when shipping items
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Happy holiday wrapping!
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Please comment below and let me know if you’re a “wrapping saver” or not, I’d love to know your opinions/experiences with this, no matter what you choose to do!