We all love gifts as much as the next person. A gift given with the right intention will always bring a smile to the face of the receiver. That smile makes the giver feel happy and fulfilled. People have been giving and receiving gifts for centuries, and let’s face it, that tradition is not ending anytime soon.
Gifts are given for various reasons and on different occasions—the most popular reason is to celebrate a birthday. Gifts are also given on other special days, like winter holidays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Fay, Valentine’s day, etc. If you don’t have tape, here is how to wrap a gift.
Reasons why we give gifts
- Celebrate a special day
- Lift someone’s mood
- Make someone feel special
- Encourage someone
- Let people know you care
- Make others emulate the habit of giving, etc.
Sometimes, we may not have a particular reason for giving a gift. We just give because we want to.
Gifts may be physical objects that can be seen and touched. Other gifts may be acts of service. Both gifts are usually well appreciated, but only one category requires wrapping.
We do not necessarily have to wrap our gifts, but we most often do. Sometimes, we put as much thought into packaging the gift as we do when picking the gift out. Receiving gifts is one of the five love languages, and people tend to go all the way when packaging a gift.
Wrapping papers come in different designs, suited for different purposes or occasions. Many people tend to wrap papers with non-specific patterns and designs for ordinary occasions. The opposite happens during holidays. Many people are intentional about making sure their gifts are wrapped in papers that keep to the theme of the holidays. Presents for kids are usually wrapped in colorful wrapping papers.
Textures of wrappers
Wrapping papers also come in different textures. There is the classic paper wrapper. There is also kraft paper that has a texture similar to that of a grocery bag. It is an eco-friendly type of wrapper. Metallic wrappers are recognized by the shine they provide.
Metallic glitter wrappers add a sophisticated touch to the present, but they may be challenging to work with (for beginners). Foil is a combination of the good parts of paper wrappers and metallic wrappers.
How to wrap a gift without tape
When wrapping gifts with wrapping paper, many people use tape. There are other ways of wrapping a gift without using tape.
Ribbons
Ribbons can be tied around the present to hold the wrapping paper in place. Wrap the present in wrapping paper, iron out creases, and ensure the edges are sharp. Place a ribbon on aflat surface and place the wrapped gift on the ribbon, making sure it is at the center, and the top of the gift is facing down.
Fold the pieces of ribbon on either side over the box. Twist them up around each other in the middle. Then, wrap the ribbon down around the other sides. Flip the box and pull the ribbons to meet in the middle. The ribbons should then be secured with a bow.
A string or twine may also be used in place of a ribbon.
Stickers
Getting the correct stickers that would suit the occasion is essential. Wrap the gifts the usual way, using the stickers in places where the tape would typically be used. Extra stickers may be used on the wrapped present to decorate it.
Glue
A regular glue, a hot glue gun, or a glue stick may be used for this purpose. Using a hot glue gun is recommended for thicker wrapping papers, while regular glue or a glue stick may be used on thinner wrapping papers.
To use glue
- Cut your wrapping paper to the desired size, adding additional inches to the wrapping paper.
- Place the box on top of the paper, with the top of the box facing down.
- Fold two opposite sides.
- Lay one side (of the folded paper) down, covering the box.
- Apply glue in a straight line down its center.
- Place the other side (of the paper) down on it and hold it down for about 15 seconds.
- Do the same for the other two sides.
- Ensure the glue is well dried before gifting.Â
How to wrap a gift with no form of attachment or adhesive
Gifts can also be wrapped without any attachment or adhesive holding them in place. This is quite tricky for many people, though. To wrap your gifts without using stickers, glue, or ribbons, follow the steps below:
- Measure enough wrapping paper to go around the present once. Cut along the length, adding an extra 2 or 3 inches.
- Fold the wrapping paper diagonally. If there’s an uncovered part of the paper at the bottom, cut it away. You should roughly have a square wrapping paper.
- Place your gift (diagonally) in the middle of the paper, with the corner of the paper over your present. Scoot the present a little bit forward so that the paper covers all corners of the present.
- Drop that corner of the paper and pull the other corner over the present, holding it firmly with a hand. Fold the edge of the bottom corner in and guide it towards the present, pulling that part of the wrapping paper with it. Now, a corner is done, and there are two sides of the wrapping paper on the box.
- Repeat the same thing for the other corner. Now, three sides are done.
- There are still two bottom corners left. Repeat what was done with the first two bottom corners, but the two corners may have to be folded simultaneously this time. Guide both corners in, placing the last side of the wrapping paper over the present.
- Ensure there are no creases and smooth everything out. Bend the triangle of wrapping paper (the flap) over the edge smoothly.
- Tuck the flap.
And that is all! Once the flap is correctly tucked in, the present should stay wrapped on its own. Wrapping gifts without tape isn’t as hard it sounds. On the contrary, it is pretty simple.
