Everyone we know is looking for ways to make their holidays more environmentally friendly. There are many beautiful ways to wrap your holiday gifts without creating waste. Why not wow your friends and family with uniquely wrapped gifts this holiday season?

Wrap your gifts in fabric

Fabric scraps or flour sack dish towels or cloth napkins make great reusable wrapping. Here’s a tutorial on traditional Japanese furoshiki wrapping techniques for a beautiful looking gift.

Make fabric gift bags. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, you can whip up some gift bags using your fabric stash. 

Reuse paper

This time of year we get lots of packages stuffed with sheets of brown paper. Iron them flat and you have a blank canvas for creative wrapping. Use them as-is and pair with a pretty ribbon (perhaps saved from a gift you received) or get out the rubber stamps and markers and decorate them.

If you carefully unwrapped last year’s gifts and saved the paper or gift bags now is the time to pull it out. Did you know that most commercial wrapping paper is not recyclable? Save what you can to reuse. 

Now that we’re not using plastic shopping bags, you probably have a collection of paper bags in many shapes and sizes. Decorate them up and pop your gifts inside.

Still getting the printed version of your fave newspaper? Instead of putting it in the recycling bin, wrap your gifts in it.

Box it up

If you’re like me, you have a pile of cardboard boxes hanging around that are just too nice to recycle. Find one that’s just the right size. If it’s plain, decorate it. You may want to cut pretty pictures from a magazine to cover any unsightly spots.

Keep it together without plastic tape

Tie with cloth ribbon or twine, made from natural materials. Here’s how to wrap a gift without using tape. 

Try Washi tape, made from rice paper and available in many craft shops.

Add a special touch

Pinecones, sprigs of sturdy fresh herbs like rosemary or lavender, and tiny evergreen branches make delightful and fragrant additions to your wrapping.

Attach small ornaments from your ever-growing collection.

Or play zero-waste Santa. In my family, we pack all our gifts into big tote bags or cloth laundry bags and bring them out one-by-one to present to the recipients. All the ooh-ing and aah-ing without the mess.

See Celebrate Sustainably this Holiday Season for more tips for a great, green holiday.