Alternative title: Should You Be Gift Wrapping At All?!

As a hater of waste and lover of all things invisible, I’m not a huge fan of gift wrap extravagance. I can, however, appreciate how lovely it can look to hand your friend a perfectly wrapped, bowed, carded and tassled gift so this one goes out to all of you who are the executors of such delightful actions. I salute you but never plan to become you. Since the art of gift wrapping can be polarizing (is it, though?), I’ll touch on the best way to organize your gift wrap collection and accompanying accoutrements if you have them but I will also dare suggest some ways to avoid wrapping while still succeeding at giving a superbly nice offering. Sealed with a clutter-free kiss.

1) DIY gift wrap. Nothing says “Happy Birthday” better than a scrap piece of paper painted on and wrapped around a present. If you want to get extra bootleg (and need a large piece of wrap), cut up a brown shopping bag and decorate the side that doesn’t have the store’s logo on it. This works extra well if the gift is coming from someone under the age of ten because they’re cute enough to get away with anything.

2) Use newspaper or magazine cutouts. What’s more personal than choosing to wrap your friend’s gift with an article that really speaks to them? Save the cost and necessary wrapping paper storage and embrace just how fabulous giving a present surrounded by current events can be. We all know it’s what’s inside that really matters.

3) Recycle old gift wrap. This winning solution will keep your minimalist habits hidden and safe from criticism. Hold on to used gift wrapping supplies when they come into your life (in moderation!) and reuse them to make yourself look like a real qween.

4) Give a nude gift. I dare you.

5) If you insist, at least store everything like a champ. A hanging organizer is ideal for anything gift wrap so keep it at the back of your closet (or front if you gift wrap more often than you wear coats) or hang it on the back of a closet door. But the best tip is to only buy/keep what fits in the organizer! it’s a good built-in rule to keep things in check and from turning your home into a North Pole workshop.