Expert shares four fool-proof ways to wrap presents – and one saves time and paper

Save yourself from using rolls and rolls of Christmas paper this year, thanks to these four money-saving gift wrapping methods, which will still leave your presents look beautifully displayed

Wrapping Christmas presents can feel like one of the most arduous tasks going. While it is lovely to imagine a loved one’s delight when they receive the gift, wrapping up the bundle is much less fun. Even if you enjoy completing the task with love and care, it can quickly turn into a chore after finishing three, two, or maybe even one present.

Besides from taking up your time, the effort normally involves lots of tape and paper too. So you best make sure you cut your paper to the right size, if you don’t want to find yourself running around to replenish supplies at the last minute.

Alternatively, you can save yourself time and money by reading on. Keen to cut down on waste – as UK shoppers throw away 227,000 miles of wrapping paper each year – Ace Packaging has rounded up four of the simplest methods you can use that cut back on time and paper. What’s more, the retailer also explained how you can wrap gifts without needing any tape at all.

The diagonal wrapping method

Equipment needed: wrapping paper, scissors, tape

1. Place the gift on a diagonal in the middle of the wrapping paper
2. Grab one corner of the wrapping paper and pull it up over the top of the gift and use tape to secure it in place
3. Fold in each of the adjacent corners carefully, laying them flat along the sides of the gift, and secure them in place with tape
4. For the final edge – which should be the opposite corner to the one you began with – fold the paper inwards enough along the side of the box so that the edge of the paper lifts up
5. Once the corner is lifted, bring it up over the top of the gift and stick it down – and voila, you have successfully wrapped a large present in a small amount of paper!

The no tape method

Equipment needed: wrapping paper and scissors

1. Start by placing your gift in the middle of the wrapping paper, then cut out an amount large enough to go around the present one time
2. Briefly fold a corner to make sure the paper is a decent square shape
3. Have the gift placed at an angle and fold a corner over it, sliding the present across the paper until it is close to the opposite corner – this is the location where you want your gift to be for the next few steps
4. Let go of the corner you previously used to slide the gift along the paper and instead start with the corner now closest to the present and fold it over
5. Hold the corner taught as you fold over the two adjacent edges, which will create two flaps in the wrapping paper, with a small gap between them
6. With the final corner, neatly fold the edges together, and pull the corner tightly over the gift
7. Fold the remaining small flap of the corner over, inserting it between the original two flaps you made, holding the whole wrapping paper into place

The one tape method

Equipment needed: wrapping paper, scissors, tape

1. Start by placing your gift in the middle of the wrapping paper, then cut out an amount large enough to go around the present one time
2. Fold a corner to make sure the paper is a decent square shape, and pull that folded piece over the gift
3. While still holding the first corner over the gift, fold over the adjacent edges on top of each other
4. Fold the last corner over, completely wrapping the gift, and use a single piece of tape to secure it all in place

Japanese gift wrapping method

Equipment needed: wrapping paper, scissors, tape

1. Make sure you have the right size of wrapping paper by placing your gift on an angle and make sure you have enough space between the corners of the paper and the gift
2. Pull your first corner over the top of the gift
3. Once this is done, a natural crease in the wrapping paper will have developed along the edge that has been folded – use your finger to crease it slightly more
4. Move onto one of the adjacent corners, folding it over the first corner, and making sure the crease aligns with the vertical side of your present
5. Use a bit of tape to secure those two folds together
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the next corner
7. On the last corner, fold the paper inwards enough along the side of the gift so that the edge of the paper lifts up
8. Once the corner is lifted, bring it up over the top of the gift and stick it down

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