150 presents to wrap!

[startingallover]

Feeling a bit stressed. Dd has been off sick all week so my great plans all went very very wrong!! So much for all being done and ready to watch TV by tonight.

I have 150 things to wrap for 4 children. I usually number each parcel to keep track of what's inside and to then tick off each parcel as it goes under the tree. Last year I only realised by doing this that a big present was still lost in the garage. I don't think using different paper for each child is going to be practical - there's too much. Ds really enjoys reading the messages from Santa on each parcel. I can't start wrapping until about 9.30 each night as they are light sleepers. Help! Please share any tips. Want to get it done and enjoy the build up to Xmas but suspect it's game over for me.

[coffeeisnectar]

How many???!! Good grief, you need help. Get someone to get the kids out for the day and blitz it. Call in favours.

I have four dc to buy and wrap for and I went with different paper this year and then put them all in separate boxes in the loft. Which doesn't help you but it was so much easier than writing labels.

That's so much stuff. Where have you put it all?

[GladysTheGolem]

Halve the number you give and save the rest until Birthdays?

[Seeyounearertime]

Nah, screw that. I had 20 to wrap for DD and by the 4th I was ready to quit and buy gift bags.

I seriously hate wrapping.

[CandyCaneCottage]

Ouch....OUCH

[Sprink]

Gift bags are your friend. More than one present in each bag, if you're smart.

[ceeveebee]

150?? Wow, I've just finished wrapping - 3 presents each for my two kids, and I never wrap the stocking presents so that saves a bit of time too.

Can some of them be grouped into bigger parcels or put in gift bags/sacks?
You can buy pre printed labels with their names on but you might be too late by now.

[LucyBabs]

Eh really? Why so many?
We don't wrap Santa presents just display them on Xmas eve.
All other presents are wrapped

[startingallover]

Ha. Could be wrapping instead of procrastinating on here but can't face it. Lots of small things - we only buy at Xmas. So lots of clothes, stationery, a lamp, rug, quilt cover, toys etc etc. Perhaps I could try the different paper. I've only wrapped three so far - took me all night as I was watching TV. Goal is to do 30 a night for next 5 nights. Weep.

[MetallicBeige]

I don't understand why people feel the need to gawp and sneer at the amount of presents people buy. I don't think op was asking for opinions on the number of presents. I think it's obvious by now that everybody does Christmas differently, there's no right way, or wrong way. Get over it.

Try Gift bags taped at the top for big things. Tissue paper scrunched around and taped shut for small/stocking items. Those tape dispenser you wear on your wrist are a godsend.
Stick to your goal of chipping away at it, I made the mistake of leaving it all till Christmas Eve last year, I was thouroughly fed up and miserable by the end. :)

You can do it!

[EvaJacobs1]

150 presents for 4 children?......that is ridiculous!

[PunkAssMoFo]

Santa sacks for the majority here. Only wrapped 'big'/main presents.

[bittapitta]

Can you loosely wrap in tissue paper and plonk in a stocking? Saves time.

[GastonsPomPomWrath]

We've gone for giant gift bags this year. They were £1 each from a card shop in town and I can comfortably stand in one up to my waist. I've got different patterns for the different children and plan on just putting curling ribbon around the present and slinging them in said bags. We've got 5 children and want to avoid the absolute mountain of ripped up paper on Christmas morn. I'm not doing it to 'save the trees', it's because I'm too lazy to pick it all up!

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Wow. I have to wrap presents for both my boys from my family in the UK, and DS1's god mother, as well as from us.

I don't wrap them all individually, I'd go mad at the wastage of paper and time - everything from one person goes in one pile and gets wrapped together. That way, Ds1 has 4 presents (containing multiple items) and DS2 has 3 (containing multiple items) - he's only 3 so hasn't spotted the discrepancy yet, I may have to do something about this soon though :(

And I don't wrap stocking presents. FAR too much like hard work! I do, however, use different paper from each different giver.

[Trudee]

I think it's a case of grit your teeth and go for it. Personally I prefer to get it over with in one go and stay up until everything's finished.
Last night I wrapped 100 gifts in 4hrs and that included checking and ticking off lists to keep track as they were mine and other people's presents. If you've got everything to hand you'll soon find your rhythm and once it's done you can relax with a nice glass of something

[StoptheRavelry]

Gosh I really don't know what to advise except that perhaps if it causes you this much stress, you might want to look at cutting down next year

No harm intended - I buy far too much as well, though I'm trying to buy less, year on year... And it is a very kind thing to do, BUT it ought to be fun and not a massive stress. Plus it sounds technically impossible!! [santa]

In the meantime, try writing a sheet of different sticky labels for each child, and then wrapping the presents with the sheet of labels to hand.

Or possibly just have a certain sticker for each child? I've done this before. Maybe like silver stars for one, gold for another, blue and red...

[StoptheRavelry]

Also I have stopped wrapping things that go in stockings - well some of them, anyway.

I am beginning to envy my parents who only had two children. Somehow three makes everything more difficult!

[Cantwaittillboxingday]

I do little and often, the opposite of that!

I also do the separate paper. There's no other way.

I have two dc though, not four.

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

You write messages from Santa on each one?!

[Bellyrub1980]

I second the gift bag idea. From pound shops, lidl, Aldi, The Works, Wilko etc, they are cheaper than wrapping paper, and they can be re-used. I also think they look better.

Although, for the kiddies, nothing quite beats tearing open the paper.

Oh it's a difficult one!!!

I agree with the PP which said rope in some help. Someone to take the kids off for the day and someone to help you wrap.

Once it's all done it sounds like you're going to have some very happy children at Christmas.

PS my mum always went mental with presents at Christmas. It felt amazing coming downstairs to a huge pile. But, looking back, much of our presents were practical things she would have bought for us in the weekly shop anyway, like toothbrushes etc! So I can see how you could get to 150 for 3 kids using that technique.

Yay! Bloody love Christmas!!!

GET WRAPPING OP!!!!!

[jamtartandcustard]

Wow I've had 59 presents to wrap for 5 children and that was enough. Not much help for now but I made sure as I bought them I immediately wrapped them and stored them away so I didn't have a big mound to do in one go. Has made it much easier. I only use one wrap for them all as well, I couldn't be doing with different wraps. No ribbons and no gift tags for the kids either - just a white sticky label and metallic pen (although if I were more organised it would've been personalised stickers from vista print)
All I can say is good luck. Can oh or any non-santa-believing kids help you?

[snowypenguin]

I think gift bags are the way to go. Pound shops will have them and various sizes. As others have said don't wrap stocking gifts?

Ignore the haters! Have a fabulous Christmas.

[AutumnLeavesArePretty]

We always use a different paper for each, no need to write labels then so easier. I do 99% of shopping online and wrap the day it's delivered so very much say to keep on top of.

[butteredbarmbrack]

We usually have quite a lot for each of the DC but lots are as a pp said stuff they need and would get anyway - socks, knickers, shower gel, toothbrushes - as well as books and so on. We don't wrap stocking stuff - my husband's family do but I wasn't going to start on that!

But if it's what you've been used to it might be difficult not to wrap it all- though if dc are young enough or maybe Santa has been following the Paris climate talks and is cutting down on waste....?!

If you stick with wrapping, yes to bags or tissue paper. And you could batch stuff together maybe - books in one parcel together rather than wrapped separately, clothes ditto, or by theme e.g. if it's Spiderman stuff together, Frozen stuff, things for the bike..... That way you might be able to cut down to maybe 10 parcels each to wrap?

[throwingpebbles]

Can't you wrap things like clothes etc in bundles?
We would get loads of books each Christmas but all in one box each. Will save you a fortune in wrapping paper too then!