Simple ideas for minimalist, sustainable Christmas wrapping

Are we nearly there yet?? This year, I’m SO ready for a relaxing break away from it all. Much like everyone, I’ve been going at it full steam ahead, racing to the end of the year – trying to do everything and be all things. The adrenaline’s been pumping, the stress levels have been bubbling away and I feel the urge to crawl into a dark space away from all the stimulation! The creative batteries need a recharge and reset so that I can come back to feeling refreshed in the New Year. The out of office is on and I’m ready to get into the holiday mood…

But first some wrapping! Even though I often leave my shopping list to the last minute, my favourite thing to do at Christmas is give presents. Whether it’s a dinner or experience spent together, some homemade biscuits or a carefully wrapped parcel, I love seeing the reaction when someone receives something I’ve spent time thinking about and preparing for them. I’ve wrapped my Christmas gifts and I’m now so impatient for everyone to see what’s in them!

So for my last post of 2019, I thought I’d dedicate it to some simple ideas for minimalist, sustainable Christmas wrapping. It can be easy and convenient to just grab a roll of plastic-wrapped paper while Christmas shopping, but if you look around your house I’m sure you’ll find a wealth of resources to decorate your gifts.

[disclosure: the paper stars and recycled cashmere socks were a press gift from Arket. The Christmas Carol book and Coco chocolate featured were also a press gift from book subscription service Reposed]

Like a little squirrel, I’ve been saving pieces of craft paper, tissue paper and wrapping from various parcels, deliveries or presents I’ve received throughout the year. I’ve now got a big pile of fabric scraps and odd bits of ribbon and twine. I haven’t needed to go out and buy anything new to wrap my Christmas gifts – I’ve just shopped from my own home!

I’ve used a variety of brown paper, black tissue paper and some patterned Ferm Living paper I received in a goodie bag a few years ago. I also put my homemade wedding napkins to good use again to make some sellotape-free linen wraps for some smaller gifts. It’s easier to wrap smaller box-shaped items with linen – you simply place the object in the middle of the fabric then tie the corners together to tighten the shape.

I’ve finished my parcels with a mix of utilitarian brown twine, black ribbon or some white ribbon I picked up from my favourite local shop Jo’s House in Herne Hill. Some paper folded stars [ad – affiliate link] from Arket add a simple decorative touch, which loved ones can use again on their Christmas tree.

Even though each present is wrapped in a different type of paper, I’ve created a cohesive, minimalist monochrome look by making some gift tags from one of the scraps of paper.

So here’s my tips for sustainable Christmas wrapping:

– Save gift wrapping and paper from online deliveries to reuse at Christmas. Any creases just add to the character.

– If the piece of wrapping paper is slightly too small for a present and the edges aren’t meeting, turn the object around so it isn’t parallel to the piece of paper, but so that the two corners of the paper meet each other – like this. Such an easy hack!

– Gifts don’t just have to be wrapped in paper. Use linen napkins, tea towels, silk scarves picked up from charity shops or old pillowcases as wrapping too – you can either politely take back the fabric once it’s opened or the receiver can keep it as an extra little gift.

– Browse flea markets and antique shops for unusual scraps of fabric, vintage ribbon and old magazines to cut up and wrap presents in.

– You could even buy a length of beautiful fabric from a haberdashery shop and make reusable, drawstring fabric bags if you’re a whizz on the sewing machine! Then you could bring them out again each year and do away with single use wrapping entirely. Look for organic cotton or European linen.

– Canvas bags or the fabric bags that come with new shoes also work well. I love using the Aesop bags for when I’m travelling but they could also make lovely gift bags.

– Don’t underestimate the simplest, most affordable types of paper – even newspaper can look the part with a fancy velvet ribbon wrapped around it.

– Make your own gift tags from leftover bits of paper that might go to waste while wrapping. Create a hole in the top with a screwdriver or cocktail stick and attach to your present with twine.

– Minimise the use of sellotape by tying presents tightly with ribbon or string, tucking the edges in as neat as you can.

– If you do buy new Christmas wrapping paper, look for recycled paper or FSC certified paper that ensures it’s come from sustainably managed forests.

– Decorate simple parcels and minimalist Christmas wrapping with a piece of (free) foraged greenery to add a natural touch – such as a sprig of pine, rosemary, moss covered twigs or a pine cone.

– You can also decorate your sustainable Christmas wrapping with a Christmas decoration or bauble – slightly more expensive than a paper tag but the person gets to keep it and treasure it!

I hope that’s given you some ideas for your own sustainable Christmas wrapping over the next couple of days. Now all that’s done and dusted, I’m going to put my feet up and dig into the mince pies and glogg…

I wanted to say thank you so much for reading my blog this year – I really do appreciate all your support, likes, comments and love! It warms my heart when I receive little messages saying that I’ve inspired someone in some way to style or decorate their home in a similarly simple style. I hope you all have a restful, relaxing holiday, whether you celebrate Christmas or not. See you in 2020!