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Timely post. Both my DD's are sustainability conscious. I realized that by doing my shopping online, I will not be getting the free boxes.

I really do not want to buy them and am tired of all the waste, so......I am going to try to see how far I can get without boxes!

I have a few Christmas bags that I have saved. I still have lots of wrapping paper.

Wrapping paper I buy new. I like the pretty prints. Gift bags and boxes are folded up and reused.

Wrapping is a real “pain” for me so I usually use gift bags.

I used to go all out with a gift box, wrapping paper, ribbon and all sorts of little decorations, especially at Christmas time. These days my wrapping consists of gft bags and tissue paper. In my social cirlce, we save the bags and tissue and they get recycled over and over again. The tissue is only good for 2 - 3 times, but the bags never seem to wear out unless they get a tear in them.

Amazon will for a small fee put your purchase in a gift bag. One can put in an address and get free Prime shipping if one has Prime so the gift goes direct to the recipient.

I use gift bags.

I still wrap my gifts with paper, ribbon and an ornament. I am not a fan of gift bags. I love to see beautifully wrapped boxes.

Why can't kid's toys come in square boxes that are easy to wrap. Grrr Seems like the boxes are in weird shapes that are hard to wrap.

At least most of the wrapping paper now has grids on the back for straight cutting.

I use obnoxiously tacky,bright and happy paper and bows and ring dings and doo dads to decorate gifts. My presents look like they came from whoville. For what, I don't know. The only person I usually buy for is SO, and he could care less about such things. And he doesn't even unwrap them right. He does so very carefully, never ripping the paper.....

I will use a gift bag if it's a last minute thing or one of those obligation gifts I buy because i heard that someone unexpectedly bought something for me. Or if its weirdly shaped. Like a hammer. I would put a hammer in a gift bag. But usually I love giving a beautifully wrapped gift.

I re/use gift bags year round for ALL presents except Christmas.

I wrap Christmas gifts in wrapping paper I purchase on clearance after the season. I can't imagine paying 5-10+ dollars on a roll of wrapping paper! My gifts don't normally have extra accoutrements though I do love how a gift looks, all prettied up with ribbons and a bow.

I used to spend lots of time making my Christmas gifts look beautiful. That stopped once I had a toddler that "wanted to touch the shiny things" ruin the wrapping on countless presents.

All of my kids are thankfully beyond the toddler stage now but I've never gone back to the ornately wrapped gifts.

Such an extra time and expense that, I'm not certain others appreciated that much anyway.

I HAVE become quite adept at wrapping things in awkwardly shaped boxes though!

For bday/wedding etc. I buy after season "Christmas" paper that is sparkly and color full and has little or no sign of CHRISTMAS on it, i.e. silvers and golds, solid reds or blues.... The added expense when trying to buy occasional wrap is INSANE IMHO. I would rather put the money into the gift. We have Christmas bags that go back YEARS and reuse them. Mostly because I love the bags!! (Norman Rockwell themed) I am not so fond of the ones I see for sale these days. It's a BONUS when the tag is still on and I can match gifts and bags and tags. This year when out and about last Saturday my adult daughter handed me two rolls of new wrapping--one harry potter the other snoopy themes. "We have to have these", she said. We have our family favs as far as themes go!!

I love elaborate bows and learned to make many styles as a teen. I prefer bright, solid color paper or foils. I love the way they look under a tree or piled on a table.

Traditional red, gold and silver foil paper with coordinating wire edged ribbon tied in a big fluffy bow. Sometimes I add a decorative pick to the bow on a plain package. I love the grid on the back of the paper. I had one roll I wish I could find more of, it was a gold background with a pattern of small fleur de lis in red.

I don't like gift bags, they're difficult to place under the tree.

We reuse wrapping paper until it's tiny little scraps. After you are two or three years old, tearing up gift paper beyond the amount needed to get to the gift, was discouraged. Likewise we reuse ribbons and bows ... all very thrifty, but probably not as pretty as we could be if we spent more on wrappings. Oh well to each his own.

I use boxes if I have them and gift bags for those weird sized things or small items. I often recycle both boxes and bags. If I need a box Hobby Lobby sells them pretty cheap so I buy in the size I need. I like pretty paper and buy large rolls of solid paper as a rule on sale. Some prints, especially for the little kiddos, and some of our favorite Snoopy print.

When I was a kid, I remember Bloomingdales used to have really gorgeous boxes. Solid color. You just showed your receipt and you could get one. They came in all sizes and shapes. They gift wrapped for free as well if I recall in a plain paper, or you could pay for something special.

My Bloomingdales days are long gone. I’m strictly in penny pincher mode. ;-)

I buy wrapping paper and ribbon after Christmas. I use the more generic stuff for non-Christmas gifts. We also reuse gift bags. Dd likes to give those to her friends so I buy those when I see them cheap. I've used newspaper and brown paper bags. I don't get many of those any more.

I try to make my presents pretty. My current wrapping style isn't that elaborate,but it does make a statement. I've done more labor intensive wrapping in the past, but I don't go to that effort any more.

This is where the 99 Cents stores come in useful. I don't care if the paper is not as fancy -- It's meant to be torn up. I've also bought really cheap fabric and used that to wrap presents. Sometimes you can find iridescent fabric that's ugly for clothes, but perfect for wrapping, on sale way cheaper than fancy paper. It's also wider than wrapping paper and goes a lot farther.

Years ago when the kids were young I was trying to teach by example recycling, and so I wrapped their Christmas gifts in the Saturday comics. I thought it was fun and cheery. They asked me, very politely, to never do that again.

I tend to use bags that have been used before and have started to buy Christmas cloth bags.

My daughters, who are crafters, make pretty cloth bags which can be reused. The gifts inside are wrapped in tissue paper. Works well.

Seniorgal, your daughters have a beautiful idea and go that extra step to make the present special wth an additional keepsake

I like a wrapping paper if that is what I need to use, that is strong. Not something that the corner will poke and tear the paper. I don't have many gifts to wrap, just for the 3 little ones. They get money as do the others.

Sue

Thanks for sharing that article, Moni, some really good ideas there!

When my grandkids were little, I always wrapped their birthday gifts in the Sunday comics, and they loved it. They always knew which gifts were from Grandma, even amongst a big pile of gifts at a birthday party. One of my grandsons has even hinted I should continue that 'tradition' with his kids now, but alas, I don't get a newspaper, nor do I know anyone who does.

Years ago, I went 'all out' wrapping Christmas gifts a few times, but it seemed few appreciated it or even noticed, for that matter, so I gave it up. Now I use mainly gift bags, because they are so easy and quick. And almost everyone else in the family uses them, also.

Rusty

I also have on occasion wrapped gifts in fabric and then sewn them shut - mainly because I have so many fabric scraps, some of which are fairly large. It can be fun to see someone try to open a package that has been sewn shut!

I also like the thick solid colors, particularly the silver, gold or red papers. I will not use a gift bag except under extreme circumstances cause it won’t match my other presents prettily stacked under the tree. Yes, I’m OCD. Actually I’m CDO - alphabetical order, dontcha know.

Wrap it in money. That usually will get recycled somehow.

I shop at TJ Maxx and Home Goods after Christmas for gift wrap at a steep discount. Also Big Lots for printed kraft paper, which can have a cozy, country look. I love good paper. Always have.

When I was a kid one of our older relatives was an interior designer. I remember one year she wrapped gifts in newspaper and wrote our names in red lipstick. I don't know how she prevented it from being horribly messy.