How to Wrap Gifts Like a Pro

Cheap paper is tempting, but Lowe warns you’ll pay for it in frustration and tears (as in rips, but quite possibly crying, too). Her go-tos for finding high-quality gift wrap are Hallmark shops, Paper Source (which Wirecutter has previously recommended), and discount chains like HomeGoods, HomeSense, and T.J.Maxx. Those three discount stores usually sell the same paper (since they’re owned by the same parent company) for about $3 a roll, she says. Depending on how much paper you’re getting, Hallmark and Paper Source rolls can run from around $4 to $10, but those stores also run deals on paper throughout the season and offer some cheeky design options, such as Peanuts-themed paper at Hallmark in both toile and metallic styles, plus a Beyoncé-themed paper at Paper Source.

One of Lowe’s favorite items from Paper Source is Stone Wrapping Paper, a recyclable gift wrap made from crushed marble and limestone that she says is a pleasure to work with. “It’s not particularly expensive compared to what you’d pay for other high-quality papers, and it’s actually so thick that I’ve been able to reuse it on multiple gifts,” she explains. “It doesn’t tear where the tape was and it doesn’t show the creases.”

Lowe recommends swapping standard-issue tape (basic, green-label Scotch or an off-brand knockoff) for a more high-performing adhesive, especially if you’re planning to wrap with textured or otherwise gussied-up paper. “If the paper’s got glitter on it, or if it has a little bit of texture and it’s not a flat paper, you’ll have a hard time getting the tape to stick,” Lowe explains. Instead she recommends Supertape, a clear, double-faced tape with peel-off strips on both sides. “It’s easy to work with, easy to cut, and will stick to anything: paper with glitter, textured paper, ribbon,” she promises. “You can place the tape on the underside of your wrapping, instead of on top like regular tape, so you don’t even see it. It’s the best tape I’ve ever used and it has never let me down.”

When working with flat or less difficult gift wrap, Lowe opts for Scotch GiftWrap Tape (look for the brand’s signature tartan design in purple on the packaging) because “it’s so clear that you can’t see the seams.”

“Just like with your paper, you don’t want to cheap out on your scissors or you’re going to have jagged edges,” Lowe says. She prefers the moderately priced Westcott Titanium Bonded Scissors, using one of the larger pairs for cutting paper and a smaller pair for clipping ribbon. “They’re the sharpest scissors I’ve ever worked with, you can’t beat the quality for the price, and after about three years of using them, I still haven’t had to sharpen them,” she says. “They cut through paper like butter, which is ideal because you want gift wrap to glide through … for a clean cut.” (Rather than chopping through your paper with an open-close, open-close cutting motion, Lowe advises “opening your scissors, putting the paper in between the blades, and just zipping right up the sheet.”)

The decorative touches atop a gift can make or break its presentation. Luckily, Lowe says, the only material you really need to achieve that wrapped-by-a-professional look is a wire-edged ribbon of a medium width (about 1½ inches is good), because “that width will look best on most packages and the wire will help you form your bow and keep its shape.” Costco’s Kirkland brand makes a ribbon she loves (though Costco sells it only in stores); she also owns tons of wire-edged ribbon from Celebrate It, a Michaels in-store brand.

A good ribbon is also versatile enough that you can get creative and forgo the stick-on bows everyone uses (though Lowe does use them from time to time, too). Try placing the ribbon off-center, running side-by-side ribbons down the middle of the package, or tying more than one bow on top.

Another way to bring your gifts to the next level with minimal effort is to give some extra consideration to the tissue paper you use inside. Lowe likes to line boxes with layers of complementary styles—blue and silver tissue, for instance, or one with glitter and one without—for a surprise visual pop. (She recommends the tissue papers at Costco and Hallmark stores, which are “stiff, but not too stiff.”) She then uses a holiday-themed sticker to adhere the two ends of the folded-over tissue together.

Speaking of stickers, even a pro like Lowe prefers stick-on gift tags to the tie-on kind, and she always finds affordable, charming stick-on tags at Target. (This season, the retailer’s selection includes some adorably chic tag sets in modern color schemes like champagne and silver, plus more traditional red and green and plaid.) Those sets often include a few extra non-tag stickers, which Lowe uses to secure the tissue paper.

For a charming final touch, seek out adornments beyond the gift-wrap aisle. You can find sprigs of faux berries in the wreath section of a crafting store, for example, to tuck into knotted ribbon. For home cooks, Lowe has likewise tied kitchen utensils and even tree-shaped cookie cutters atop packages. Stringing an ornament into the knot of a ribbon is another way to “give an extra gift with your gift.”

Do you inevitably spend Christmas Eve wrapping presents while hiding in a corner, crouched on the floor, slowly throwing out your back? (Or is that just me?) To create a more ergonomic mise-en-wrap, Lowe says all that’s really required is “any surface where you can sit or stand and roll out about three or so feet of paper.” She also recommends storing your smaller supplies in clear, stackable bins (she likes these bins from The Container Store), which allow you to see everything you have at once, consolidate them on top of one another to save space, and relocate everything quickly and easily should young ones come poking around (or when you need to repurpose the tabletop to serve and eat dinner).

If you have the room, you can re-create Lowe’s gift-wrap workspace by arranging a pair of 6-foot folding tables into an L shape, which allows you to keep more supplies within easy reach. (While she likes Costco’s folding tables, we recommend a similar table by Office Star that’s available at Overstock.)

Lowe also saves herself time and frustration by transferring her tapes into weighted dispensers from Scotch, “the kind with the rubber on the bottom that sits on a desk,” which stay put and are readily findable amid heaps of materials.

Lastly, even if it seems like more of a chore than it’s worth, consider creating a “zen” wrapping environment as a gift to yourself. For Lowe, that means a winter wonderland with two artificial trees and garland, but if you’re not up for full-on decorating your decorating space and you aren’t furtively wrapping with your kids in the next room, a wintry scented candle and some holiday-themed music can also do wonders. “It’s about creating your own warm, inviting space that you like to go to,” she says. “It’s about the joy of the holidays—whatever that means to you.”