To think wrapping paper is a waste of money?

[Soubriquet]

Every year I wrap all the presents and I think “this is just going straight in the bin. May as well chuck the money in the bin”

Yet, every year I still stupidly spend hours wrapping gifts.

Gift without wrapping is rubbish imo

Use brown paper and then you can recycle it.

My kids are 18 and 11 and don’t want theirs wrapped this year. As a compromise a few will be as I don’t enjoy wrapping the first 10 or so.

The kids decided it was a waste from an environmental aspect. This year we have gone mainly meat free for the same reasons.

I am actually glad, massive weight off.

Dh had a gift box for me, I have one for him and we have a gift sack for dd. We store them and reuse them each year for presents. Much more special in my opinion and it's like welcoming an old friend when we get it out each year! By extended family we still use paper...

True… I’ll still do it but gonna grumble too

I agree. I bought nice Christmas bags about four years ago and as the presents only go in them on Christmas Eve (hidden in a cupboard until then) and are taken out a few hours later, they’ve stayed pristine. So I just use the same bags each year and fold them down in a drawer until the next year.

I use all the free magazines. Make sure a nice picture is front.

Pillow cases

Tissue paper / paper bags from clothes shopping over the year

There are many ways to add some drama to the gift giving without wrapping paper

It it can look very pretty but it is a complete waste

We have moved away from wrapping paper, though I still have a bit for the occasional use (I try to have patterns that can be used for other occasions like birthdays too, so not overly xmassy). We did use brown paper and ribbons for a bit, but that is still waste. Now we use and reuse gift bags - the wider family does too, so the same ones cycle round. We also have a number of cloth bags that have been acquired for various reasons (not purchased specifically). I also accumulate pretty scarves when I see them going cheaply in charity shops - I use these for family presents only so I get them back. Its an eclectic mix under the tree, but I like it.

For DH’s birthday a few years ago I wrapped a shoe box and tied it up with a ribbon. I use it every year. I don’t think he even remembers.
Wine bags and Christmas stockings are also useful for just shoving presents in.
One year I used The Guardian wall charts but some might call that even more wasteful.
Not every present needs wrapping paper, I would say.

As long as there is no glitter or foil on the paper then it can be recycled. I've made sure to not buy any this year with glitter/foil.

We reuse gift bags over and over again. They last really well and look pretty. Use a bit of tissue paper from a delivery or even reused bubble wrap inside.

Oh God, I was a child of the 70s and my mum used to make us unwrap really carefully so she could use the wrapping paper again and again! 🙈😂

Old calendars can also look good: they’re glossy like a chocolate box.

I hate wrap - the waste / expense / the faff with tape etc but I’ve seen some reusable foil type bags with drawstrings on eBay and I might try them this year along with the gift bags I’ve already kept from previous years. Anyone know how long they last?

We use gift bags and seal them with Christmas clothes pegs so they can be reused (no tape). We have loads of sizes. For any huge presents we use brown paper and coloured ribbon. Brown paper is sometimes wasted admittedly, but at least it's recyclable.
Pillowcases sound strange, but I'll give it a try this year before I write it off!

I use gift bags, just put everything inside and tape it up. I don't wrap every single item separately. I will also buy reusable bags from Poundland, so they can be used as shopping bags after.

The gift bags tend to get recycled through the family until they fall apart.

I do it to save time more than anything else

I use the Christmas magazines you get free in supermarkets. It looks incredibly effective, 100% free and recyclable. The other thing I use is left over fabric (I do a lot of sewing) especially for larger items. Or wrap the gift in a scarf and let the scarf be part of the gift.

Wrap in tissue paper inside a gift bag without using tape then everything can be reused.

I save the metres and metres of brown paper that Amazon send in their deliveries and use that. I don't have DC but I imagine it would be nice to get them to potato print it or similar.

I stopped wrapping Christmas presents about 7 years ago, I felt incredibly guilty the 1st time but the kids didn’t even notice or comment. I do still wrap birthday presents though but fazing this out gradually by using gift bags instead.

I have a drawer full of wrapping paper that gets saved and reused every year. Some of is from my childhood. Some of it is from my mother’s childhood. Same with ribbons. The trick is to use minuscule pieces of sellotape, and open gingerly.

I got some Xmas-themed fabric squares from ALDI about 5 years ago and have been using them to wrap family Christmas presents ever since. It took a bit of time to get used to wrapping with fabric and ribbon but now we're pretty good at it. We also have some for birthdays and also re-use the gift bags that amazon presents come in.

I got a new pack fabric squares this week so they might still be in stores.

For presents outside the family, we use brown paper these days so that it is at least recyclable. The kids enjoy decorating it too.

I used to use old magazines. I never buy magazines any more so I get xmas wrapping paper in the sales for the following year.

I've sewn a lot of different-sized drawstring bags in Christmas fabric so that we can reuse them and there's no waste.