Gift Wrapping Large Items
I thought I would share how I wrapped the kids’ body pillows a couple of years ago.
We got both older kids body pillows for Christmas. I needed some way to wrap them but I didn’t want to use a bunch of wrapping paper. I found a large white trash sack. I stuffed the pillow inside and tied off the top.
Then, I drew a face on the front with permanent marker. For the hair, I used curly ribbon that I had gotten on clearance for ten cents. I curled a large wad of it to make long hair for Elly’s pillow and did a short bunch for BJ’s pillow. Then I just taped the “hair” to the top.
They turned out so cute!! For about ten cents, I got a really unique gift wrap!
Tawra
Photo By: Stephen Nakatani
One year I got my Dad one of the boards for laying on & rolling under the car. It didn’t come in a box & would have been very difficult to wrap. I put it in the laundry some behind some stacked up laundry baskets & a towel over the top. Then I wrapped a note that told him to look in a certain place. In that place was another note. He followed the instructions on the notes until he finally got to the actual hiding place. You can have a lot of fun with this, either give exact directions or a clue they have to solve. Just don’t over do it so it turns into something not fun anymore.
Shalom what a super idea. I wish I had done this last Christmas. I had a huge picture frame for my daughter in law and it was hard to wrap. Will try this on my next big present.
Be sure when you are buying gifts that have to be shipped that you have something large enough to hold all the gifts.
I am having the hardest time trying to find a box or plastic container with a lid to put the gifts into.
A large tube type pack full of army men. A large but smaller tube full of dinky toys.
And those are 2 of the easier packages to wrap.
Maybe next year I will send only gift certificates. Not as personal but a heck of a lot easier than big boxes for the bus
Grandma, I am still working on shopping for this year and thinking of going the gift card route myself. Not due to shipping issues though…due to shopping issues.
This is the first Christmas I’ve had as a mom/aunt that I just don’t know what to buy. My 16 year old son has asked for one very expensive item for Christmas. It’s way more than what we always budget for each child at Christmas. We simply can’t afford it and even if we could, it’s too much for a single Christmas gift. It’s also an item I think is a waste of money because he will quickly lose interest in it. I’ve tried to talk to him and see if he wants anything else and he insists that is all he wants. My dad suggested we just give my son cash for Christmas and then let him combine it with money he has saved and receives from family members and then see if HE will spend his own money on the item he wants. At this point, I don’t know what else to do. Just giving him cash seems really impersonal and not at all fun. Then, I’m afraid he will spend all of his money buying this item only to discover he doesn’t want it. This situation is taking a lot of the fun out of my Christmas preparations this year.
My two nephews and niece that we buy gifts for are also teens. It’s really getting complicated keeping up with what game system/electronic gadget everyone has and what to buy. I’m really thinking gift cards for them. Again, it seems impersonal but it’s getting really difficult to figure out.
My youngest son, who is 10, is the last easy to please recipient we have. Hubby and I went out yesterday and completed our shopping for the youngest in a couple of hours. I wonder how much longer until he is also difficult?
I was looking through old photo albums yesterday at pictures of when my kids were little and so excited at Christmas over simple toys and books. I commented to hubby that I miss those days. He told me I will have grandchildren one day and Christmas will be fun and simple again.
I know gifts is not what Christmas is all about. We do donations to the homeless shelter at my office and also adopt a needy family for Christmas. I love the reconnecting with family for the season as well as all the music and decorations. Still, for some reason, the Christmas shopping has me a little down this year.
Angie,
Our kids are at that age also where they want gifts that we just cannot afford and even if we could we wouldn’t spend that much on them for Christmas. We give them cash but we do it in fun ways. Here is our article on that https://www.livingonadime.com/gift-wrapping-money/ .
We do that because they will have their “own” money to spend on that item then if they really want it they can pay for it and they are responsible for it. Yes, it’s hard to see kids spend money on things you know they will lose interest in but it’s better they do it on a $500 gadget than a $200,000 house in 5 years! This is the way they learn to manage money so they will have mistakes.
Our kids always think it’s fun to see how we are going to give them their money this year. One year my son’s stocking was full of $1 bills (not stuffed :-) another a bag of M&M’s wrapped in money, another year a treasure hunt (yes, the older kids like doing this still), sometimes a box of Pepsi wrapped in money and one time like my hubby $50 in pennies wrapped in a very large and heavy box, and sometimes just a $50 or $100 bill. :-)
They are getting older and do have different tastes so you just have to go with the flow and realize it’s ok if they just get money and spend it on what they want.
My Dad put a $50 bill inside a walnut shell and glued it back together for Christmas one year.
Any wise ideas on how to wrap a fire pit? I used 2 leaf bags and tons of tape. It is not pretty but all I could come up with.
You could set it in place by the tree or where you are going to be opening gifts and slip an appliance box that has been wrapped in paper over the top of it. It would take a bunch of paper but if you have some ugly stuff that you got for a nickel (like Tawra did at a garage sale) you can use the back side of it that is white.
You could also drape a seasonal looking sheet (red, green, white etc.) over it. Both can just be lifted up when time to open.
How about putting in under the tree at the last minute and merely tucking wrapping paper around it to minimize its use?