Wrapping presents in newspaper... Just what do you think?

[Nataleejah]

Creative, or else?

Clara is right, the Guardian is very inky. I suppose it depends how much you're touching it, but I remember arriving somewhere after a long train journey to be told "you've obviously been reading the paper" because my fingers were black with ink.

Use a foreign paper (easily obtainable from a hotel or Asian supermarket), quick use of a translation app to make sure you're not wrapping up a murder story, use brown paper on the bottom and cellophane on the top and then accessorise with tiny baubles and ribbon. Looks amazing.

Oh and the FT is good as it is small print and a pleasing colour.

Fabric wrappings are lovely and can be used every year. Its more expensive initially but pays for itself over the years.

The Guardian is "Berliner" sized.

I still get ink all over me when I read a newspaper... Maybe I have sweaty fingers.

We've always done it. For eco recycling reasons. We save it for family though and use standard paper for outsiders.
I think anyone who knows us would assume eco reasons not "trying to hard". It's not very hard. And its always the guardian for us cos what else would eco lefties be reading?

I think anyone who knows us would assume eco reasons not "trying to hard". It's not very hard.

Exactly. I find gift wrapping extremely wasteful and an unnecessery expense.
Am i tightfisted?

I did it for my FIL's birthday presents once as he's obsessed with recycling and scavenging shit from bins. I did him a really nice hamper and individually wrapped all the bits in newspaper, and put them inside a cardboard box. It looked rubbish. He loved it though.

I also hate inky newspaper fingers. Hate hate hate it. The DM has special ink that doesn't come off - why can't all newspapers use that? I did ask a journalist once and he told me that it's because in the DM it's sealed on with hatred

Financial Times all the way! It's a pretty colour, not inky and the paper is a bit thicker so it works better for packages with sharp corners.

Yes I like it if you use a paper where the newsprint doesn't come off. And the brown paper too. My mum said she visited a friend and she had a load of parcels in brown paper with green ribbon and tags and they looked fantastic.

Yes, you'd assume to minimise paper waste, surely?

(Though as a foreigner, I'm never quite sure I understand the 'trying too hard' accusation that gets thrown about all the time on here, especially on the baby names forum - how do you estimate the allowable narrow ground between 'not making an effort' and 'trying too hard' - what's the right amount of trying? And why is trying too hard seen as worse - it seems - than not bothering at all?)

Eco reasons are why we do it, plus it does look nice - we also have a stash of fabulous ribbons (courtesy of design-mad SIL who has been known to go on a frenzy in VV Rouleaux) collected over years, that gets re-used annually. If you rub a warm iron over the paper, the ink doesn't come off. Butlers used to do it before taking in the paper with the morning tea.

I think we are all showing our age here. I don't think newspapers are "inky" any more are they?

I like the idea. Sounds arty!

If I received a present wrapped in newspaper, it would seem really cheap- or as if the giver had run out of wrapping paper and couldn't be bothered to get more. Sorry thats just the impression I'd get.

I wouldn't care really! I definitely wouldn't call it creative though!

I think it's cool but I would be specific about who I did that for, I don't think everyone would appreciate /get it.

I use newspaper with lovely velvet ribbons and luggage tags for gift tags, they look lovely in a pile under the tree. I don't do it for presents outside family and close friends, people can be a bit odd about it, they'll use cheap crap paper but get uptight about newspaper and lovely ribbon.

Actually it would remind me of the Good life (the old tv series). They were trying to have a cheap eco christmas but just ended up being miserable.
As far as recycling goes, we have a collection of gift bags which we reuse every year, with a new gift tag of course. Saves having to wrap up awkward shape gifts. Any wrapping paper goes into the recycling anyway.

It can look good if adorned with a ribbon, very WWII retro Crimbo. I also like presents wrapped in brown paper.

Casta I didn't realise that was why butlers ironed newspapers! I assumed it was so not to offend the gentry with wrinkles

Squoosh, your butler has clearly been doing it all wrong...

I wouldn't do it in The Daily Mail. But if someone turned up their nose at a present wrapped in newspaper - or anything else come to think of it- would have just received their last present from me!

If it's done creatively, then yes. Otherwise no. I still shudder at a secret Santa present I received that was just shoved into some newspaper. It looked awful, like absolutely zero effort had gone into it. I still have no idea what I could have done to deserve such scorn!

I think those worrying about newspaper ink haven't read a newspaper in at least 10 years. The ink doesn't rub off these days.

I quite like the idea of using newspaper, but it would have to be done very well, very neatly and accessorized with more expensive/creative trims.

I've used brown paper for Christmas presents before, but always used coloured ribbons, strings and gift tags to make it look creative rather than cheap.