To think you wrap presents?

[EdithGrantham]

It has come to light that MIL doesn't wrap birthday presents, Christmas presents are always wrapped up but birthday presents never are. When I mentioned to DH that I found it unusual he said that even as a child his birthday presents weren't wrapped up, and on Christmas a few that were from Father Christmas would be but the majority; that were from his parents, weren't wrapped.

So I'm just wondering how common this is;
YABU- presents don't usually need wrapping up
YANBU- more often than not, presents should be wrapped

I think it's weird to wrap one type of present but not another so YANBU.

It is not nice. Sil does this and it pees me off for my child. Although they will wrap presents for their own kids. It's just lazy

I would have thought it was the thought that counts in the present buying rather than the wrapping. I really couldn’t get bothered about it.

I like presents to be wrapped. Occasionally I understand the need for gift bags, but I would always try to wrap a present even if in a gift bag. I would NEVER give a present unwrapped, even if a plant I would try to wrap the pot/put a ribbon around it. I would be disappointed if my presents weren't wrapped... It shows a lack of effort in my opinion.

Hmm I think presents should be wrapped in a situation where there will be lots of presents eg Christmas morning. But if it’s something like you’re at lunch just you with a friend and give them a birthday present then it doesn’t need to be wrapped. But I know there is not much logic there 🤣 I’d just stick it in a gift bag with some tissue if I couldn’t be bothered with wrapping paper.

Is she supremely lazy or an eco warrior?

I don’t wrap plants, bottles are given in a bottle bag (cos I can’t wrap them nicely enough!) and hostess choccies are usually given unwrapped. Everything else is wrapped for birthdays, Christmas and from Father Christmas.

environmentally and economically wrapping is a complete waste and when I think back to the many hours I’ve sat getting cramps wrapping all the Christmas presents I wish I’d made a stance years ago. I always try and present it nicely in a gift bag or something that can easily be reused many times over but wrapping is a thing of the past for me.

Tbf I always think wrapping is so wasteful but continue to do it for some reason. I might take this approach

I always use a gift bag for birthday presents, I never wrap the presents inside. The gift bag is the wrapping.

I have quite a stash of gift bags because I reuse them all the time.

Honestly I think I’m a bit of both, but when you look at 2 massive bin bags full of very pretty paper that’s literally been used once and can’t even be composted just for the sake of looking pretty for a while every Christmas, it’s very hard to justify it.

if you’re my friend, I’m sorry but I love you and look forward to discussing it further over many drinks and food 😂

Wrapping is so over rated. Waste of money and as a lot of wrapping paper can’t be recycled resources as well. Reusable gift bags are great (the ones Amazon use are lovely). Especially if the gift is being given in person.

I can see the need for Christmas, lots of presents and often under the tree beforehand. And for something that won’t be opened immediately but otherwise nope.

But then I feel the same about cards - what is the point?

If I give a present in a gift bag I never wrap

Im with you on this OP, its very odd. Gift wrap makes the present feel special and there's an element of suspense while opening it and a surprise. Plus it can make even small token gestures look better.

The wrapping paper like a card can show an element of thought of the person's personality and reflect the occasion.

I stopped doing those too with the exception of elderly relatives

I wrap for other people but immediate family everything is popped into pillow cases. My DC are very much eco warriors though

I have never wrapped birthday presents and Christmas presents are given in gift bags. I only give gift to my family so at the end of the present swap I gather up the bags and put away for the next year. Most of my gift bags have been being used for over 10 years now and I can see them still being used in another 10 years.

I never wrapped stocking presents. And I’m becoming less and less inclined to wrap anything now. A gift bag is as far as I’m prepared to go and they can be used multiple times. Economically and environmentally wrapping paper is crazy.

I honestly think wrapping paper is one of the things people will look back and and think WTF.

I mean, it's a stupid waste of paper and before we stopped using it and started reusing gift bags etc the pile of (usually unrecyclable) paper on christmas morning was always a pretty depressing sight.

"lazy" "disappointing" "lack of effort" "very odd"

I can't imagine thinking anything other than "that's kind" if someone gave me or my kids a present, wrapped or not. I just can't imagine that my overriding thought if someone handed me an unwrapped present would be that they were being lazy and unthoughtful.

Plus, yeah, what a rediculously waste of non-recyclable paper.

Never if it's posted, and preferably in a reusable gift bag if in person.

I used to waste a lot of time, cost and energy in wrapping things beautifully then came to realise, that no one cared apart from me. Reinvest the energy in choosing a present that the recipient will love. They don't care about the packaging.

I mainly use giftbags for both birthday and Christmas gifts and re-use them. But yes, I wrap/gift bag all gifts.

MIL barely wraps anything. One Christmas, everything was still in the carrier bags she'd bought them in, with the names written on the bags!

Yes, its the thought, but my gift included an unopened packet of rancid cheese, she had clearly forgotten to remove from the shopping bag!

My dm doesn’t wrap presents. She has huge gift bags for each of us that she fills with presents at Christmas and birthdays and she makes us return them so she can use them again. She isn’t at all hard up but can’t stand waste of any kind. I actually think it’s quite a good idea and far better for the environment, but I love wrapping presents so I don’t do the same.

When I was little Santa's presents weren't wrapped. Just nicely arranged on the floor ready for us to play with.

I did the same with my DC but when they got older they asked me to ask Santa if he could wrap them.

He very kindly obliged.