If you are a Christmas-lover, just like me, and you want all your gifts to capture everyone’s attention without producing a tone of plastic waste, make sure you give these tips a try!
1. Kraft or brown paper
Instead of wrapping your gifts in a generic Christmas-themed colourful plastic paper, try Kraft paper. Kraft paper is biodegradable and compostable, which makes it a perfect candidate for a sustainable gift-wrap.
Furthermore, Kraft paper is an ideal, minimalistic base. Draw patterns, stick decorations or tie with pretty ribbons for truly personalised and creative packaging.
2. Wrapping cloths
Wrapping cloths are a perfect alternative to single-use paper. You can buy dedicated fabric wraps (e.g. with some Christmas patterns on them) or use materials you might already have at home (e.g. upcycle your old bedding, kitchen towels or clothes that are no longer in good shape for regular use). Such cloths might be later re-used by the giftee.
Fabric wraps are used in a similar manner to paper – you just wrap your gift into them using material instead of paper. To tie it up, you might use red or green ribbons to give an additional Christmas touch to your present.
3. Fabric gift bags
Fabric gift bags are another alternative to single-use paper. You can buy them onlinem or a cheaper and more eco-friendly option is to sew them yourself!
Again, try using some old materials, such as kitchen cloths or bedding and sew them into a bag so you can place your gift in it. You can adjust the size of the bag to the size of your present. You can even sew a huge Santa Claus’ bag for a perfect place to stash your gifts.
Yet, if you feel helpless at sewing, I recommend sticking with fabric wraps, which are equally pretty but slightly easier to operate.
4. Old newspapers
This option is for those who want to give a second life to old magazines. Grey newspapers might serve as a beautiful and surprising alternative to gift wrapping paper. You may want to add a pretty, fabric ribbon to make the present look more refined.
5. Boxes
If you have any boxes from online shopping which clutter your house, you can easily transform them into gift boxes. Decorate the box with ribbons or organic decorations, such as dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and cones to make it look pretty and Christmasy from the outside.
I hope these tips and inspirations will make your Christmas-preparations more sustainable, as well as enjoyable. Vent your creativity through personalizing the gifts for your loved ones!