I love silver as my main wrapping, with some color. So, if I am doing silver and red that year, I will have some red packages, or the bag type with ribbon and tissue. I also like mixing metals, like silver, copper and gold metalic wrapping papers with white, green or red ribbons.

I am weird....my presents have to match my tree. So they are wrapped in colors of gold, brown, copper. But, I like the idea of wrapping all the gifts the same and just have ribbons that coordinate with each family member. I just might step out of the box and do that this year LOL !

Kim

Mary_Ruth & calicocat1967 - both of your comments sound great. I think it's a fun way of decorating which really takes no add'l time. That's my favorite part. :-)

We've tried using all the same paper in the past, but someone always screws it up. :) When the kids were little it was easier but as they grew up we lost control over those things.
Now, they're grown and gone I have some control again but then when people drop things off for us, the wrapping doesn't match anyway. LOl... so I guess now, I'll just wrap a bunch of empty boxes all the same and use pretty bows and ribbons and then re use them next year!

Having 2 trees helps. The formal tree and the family tree. The formal one gets paper that matches it.. all either silver, white, or that pretty tourquise-blue color.
But I don't have that tree set up this year. I need a 7.5 footer and all I have is the little 4'which worked in the old house but won't work in the new one.
I got the new one for the family tree this year and will get the formal tree next year. (unless I find the perfect one nearly free this year)

melvalena - the silver/white/blue sounds gorgeous. My DM often has a more 'sophisticated' look to her decorating. Your description reminds me of my childhood. Happy holidays.

I also wrap the gifts wiith paper that matches the trees(3). I have a formal tree in the dining room, the family tree in the formal living room and a bird/ bird house tree in the palor. So I still have a wide choice of pretty papers to choose from.

here's a picture of that formal tree from last year at our old house. By the time these pictures were taken all the gifts had been opened.

and

Kim,
I try to wrap my packages in my room colors--reds, browns, and greens. I like checks and plaids and tree and pine cone prints, etc., for simple country-rustic looks, with real ribbon. DH uses bows in a bag and all kinds of splashy colors. I wrap packages bound for somewhere else in regular Christmas wrap which matches what the rest of our family uses (and it's very cheap at thrift stores).

-Magpie

Never the same color...hodge podge of sorts...like "nature" prints ... dark greens, browns, pinecones, plaids, pinetrees, snowflakes, etc. But I have more fun with "name tags" for the packages...punch out letters of GK's & family ...new ornament tied on for each person...love to use photos/pics of past Christmas' or a memorable event together...print them in sepia tones, b&w's, sometimes colors! Each pkg. is personalized...use old Christmas cards sometimes cut-up/folded in fans! Sometimes even make those old-fashioned "pom-poms" out of yarn that we long ago fastened to iceskates! Sometimes if GKs are visiting, I get help with these projects!

Just have a good time...and most of it goes in the trash bag...except for pics! Jeanne S.

How interesting, I always use different paper for every gift and rarely have two gifts with the same wrap. I'd love to see some pictures of your trees with all your gifts under them.

Punk

I use brown craft paper for wrapping, but I use trims, ribbons, ornaments, junk, candy, etc., for the ribbons. I even used plastic fishing worms for the bow on my DN package last year...he was tickled with the idea, and has since brought me several fish....yum, yum!

When my daughter was almost two (25 now) she removed all the tags from the gifts and stacked them up very neatly and proclaimed that she was playing cards. She did this on Christmas Eve. I had no idea what gifts belonged to who. This made for a very interesting gift exchange and Christmas morning. This is when I began using a unique paper or ribbon for each person.

There is really just not a lot of "formal" decorating in my house at Christmas. For me, it's all for the kids. So, I always have 20 or 25 different papers to use. Only the gifts from Santa- that don't come into the house until Christmas Eve after the kids (34 and 38 year old sons and their wives) are tucked in bed fast asleep - are coordinated. Each person has a different paper and their paper is never used for gifts under the tree until a couple of years down the road. Helps me keep them straight if I am wrapping at different times.

Beccap, loved the story about your two year old playing cards! LOL I can just imagine everyone opening and exchanging packages on Christmas morning!

I always try to buy coordinating papers, but like someone else said, by the time friends and relatives add their packages to the mix, it's a hodgepodge of colors and patterns. Now that you've brought this to my attention, I'm not going to worry about what I use on my packages anymore!

Luvs

Growing up our Christmas tree was always colored lights and a hodge podge of ornaments usually with our names (sister and I) on them. We'd get ornaments every year. Since there was so much going on with the tree we pretty much used whatever wrapping papers we liked. There were always tons to pick from and honestly it all looked good. Now I decorate a small tree with my ornaments the same as when I was growing up and it still makes me smile. Very homey and reminds me of my childhood. BUT, the big tree we have (did our first one last year) since there were only a few ornament colors I picked wrapping paper to match because honestly it would've bugged me. This year we changed the blue ornaments to red so it's red, white, silver, cream and I bought different paper to coordinate. Years from now when we finally have kids I'm sure all this matchy, matchy perfection stuff might go out the window!

Thank you all for the fun comments. No doubt, every tree & it's wrapping is very unique & special to each. I enjoyed reading your comments & imagining the individual looks.

Happy holidays to all!