It’s always a relief to check off that last gift from your shopping list. But now that the shopping is done, it’s time to wrap everything you’ve bought. Even if you enjoy wrapping presents, it can be a big, time-consuming job. Why not turn it into a fun afternoon with friends?
That’s a Wrap! Hosting a Gift-Wrapping Party
Before we dive in, I have a confession to make.
I love wrapping Christmas presents, so I always make a party out of it.
I channel Rowan Atkinson’s character in Love Actually. (If I could get away with it, I would totally put a sprig of holly on all my packages.)
It seems as though where wrapping presents is concerned, there are two kinds of people: stuff it in a gift bag and call it good or go all out with all the trimmings.
No matter what end of that spectrum you fall on, wrapping presents together gets everyone motivated to tick off one more item on their holiday to-do list and have a great time doing it. So, let’s dive in, and we’ll cover everything you need to have a successful day of present wrapping.
Match Your Invitation List to Your Space
Probably the most important thing to keep in mind is how much room you have available. This will determine how many friends and family can attend and still comfortably get their gift-wrapping done.
Does your dining room table have a couple of leaves you can put in it? Great! Do you own a card table or two? It’s time to get them out.
How about a room with a lot of floor space where you can set up on the floor? It’s a good idea to plan for each person to have roughly sixteen square feet of space for wrapping. 4’x4′
And remember, you don’t all have to be in the same room. You can spread out. However, sometimes keeping your party to your closest friends makes it more special.
If your invitation list is bigger than your available space, all is not lost. It’s just time to move this party somewhere else.
Take Your Party on the Road for Larger Groups
If you want to have a gift-wrapping party for a larger group of friends, like a book club or knitting group, consider booking a banquet room at a local restaurant, making lunch part of the party. Or you can book a conference room at a local hotel and bring refreshments. Many local fire halls will let you rent their space for an afternoon. If everyone pitches in to cover the fee, it’s usually pretty reasonable.
Let Your Guests Know What They Should Bring
How many gifts?
Is this going to be a “get ’em all done” kind of party where you’re in it until the last gift is wrapped kind of deal? You can also tell your guests to bring a specific number of gifts, gifts that are hard to wrap, or gifts they can’t wrap at home because the giftee is present, etc.
BYOWP
Bring your own wrapping paper. Most families have particular tastes when it comes to wrapping paper. They might use a specific pattern for gifts that come from Santa. Or they might have a theme or color scheme. With that in mind, I’ve found it’s always best to tell your guests to bring their own wrapping paper.
Provide Supplies So Your Guests Can Travel Light
Your guests will be bringing gifts to wrap and, most likely, their own wrapping paper. You can be a gracious host by providing all the other supplies needed for an afternoon of gift wrapping.
Here is a helpful list of gift-wrapping supplies you can have on hand for your guests:
- Tape – be sure you have at least one for every two guests so they aren’t held up waiting. More is always better.
- Scissors – again, having plenty of pairs to go around makes the process smoother and keeps everyone moving along at a good clip. Be sure you’ve got good, sharp scissors.
- Tissue paper – It’s always a good idea to have tissue paper on hand to use for stuffing gift bags or wrapping around items that will go in boxes. Keep it simple and provide white, red and green to match your guests’ wrapping paper easily.
- Gift boxes – It’s likely your guests will bring their own, but it’s always nice to have an assortment of gift boxes of different sizes on hand. (This set will cover all your needs.)
- Gift bags – Just like the boxes, having an assortment of different-sized gift bags can be an easy option for hard-to-wrap or oddly shaped packages.
- Generic Christmas bows and ribbon – provide curling ribbon and bows in traditional red, green, silver and gold for your guests to top off their gifts with.
- Gift Tags – Provide different varieties of gift tags for your guests to label “to” and “from” on their packages. Don’t forget pens or markers to write on them.
- Gift toppers – if you want to go all out, consider offering small gift toppers that your guests can add to their finished packages for the final touch. These can be small sprigs of evergreens, fake sprays of red berries, jingle bells, small Christmas baubles and the like.
Refreshments – KISS
Keep refreshments simple. Since this is the kind of party where you’ll be doing an activity, the food doesn’t need to be the focus. It’s less work for everyone involved.
Remember, the point of this get-together is to make the holidays a little less stressful for everyone.
Store-bought veggie and fruit trays are an excellent option. Take them off the tray and arrange them in the shape of a Christmas tree. Voila! It already looks like you put way more effort into it. Hit up the frozen food aisle and stock up on all the tasty little frozen hors d’oeuvres. Or you can do a light potluck and have your guests each bring a simple snack.
This is a great time to mix up a Christmas punch or have a slow cooker full of hot cider or mulled wine. (Make this ahead of time for easy instant mulled wine.)
Entertainment
It’s always a good idea to provide some background entertainment for a gift-wrapping party. It gives guests something else to focus on when the conversation lags (and takes the burden off of them to keep it going). It can also offer a nice little respite when they need a break from wrapping, wrapping, wrapping!
Music is always a great choice.
You might choose a jazzy Christmas playlist or classic Christmas songs that everyone loves to sing along with. You can tailor your tunes to suit the tastes of your group.
Set up a Christmas movie marathon.
Watch all the old classics like White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, and It’s a Wonderful Life. Put the Hallmark channel on and see how many hometown engagements it takes before all the presents are wrapped. You can even opt for one of 17 lesser-known (and underrated) Christmas movies.
It’s always nice to have a little something on in the background. And if you all end up chatting the entire time and completely ignore your entertainment options, so much the better.
Transporting Wrapped Gifts Home
As someone who has hosted and attended several of these parties, I have learned a trick or two about getting the wrapped gifts home.
Save your big cardboard boxes. Fold the flaps down inside the box, and you’ll have a sturdy way to get packages back home. Provide one or two for each guest or ask them to bring their own. They can stack packages in them as they finish wrapping them.
Don’t put sticky bows or package toppers on until you’ve got the presents home. They will get squashed or pulled off when packed together in the box. It’s much easier to fit packages in boxes if you don’t have to worry about squishing decorations.
If it’s raining/snowing, have extra large black garbage bags available for your guests. They can slip them over the boxes to protect the paper.
Whether you love wrapping gifts or find it to be a chore, it’s always more enjoyable with friends. This Christmas season, get the gang together for a day of paper, scissors and lots of laughs. You may just stumble across your new favorite holiday tradition.
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