How to Wrap a Holiday Gift

Red and white stripe wrapped gift with merry heart tag and red bow

A step by step guide to wrapping a beautiful holiday present.

Step 1

Grab your favorite wrapping paper, choose ribbon, and gather all your supplies. Have sharp scissors and tape on hand before you begin. Roll out the paper and place your item on top.

Box on top of wrapping paper sheet
Step 2

Make sure your paper is cut so that it folds half way down the sides of the box.

Box on top of wrapping paper with scissors

Cutting the paper to size is the most important step to wrapping a beautiful gift.

Step 3

Fold the paper around the gift and use tape to secure the paper on the back side.

Wrapping paper wrapping around box with tape
Step 4

This is important. To fold the corners properly, the paper must be cut to size.

1. To create hospital corners, fold the wrap down over the side of the box and secure it with tape.

2. Next, fold the sides in toward the center of the box and crease the edges to create paper triangles on each side.

3. Then, fold the bottom flap up and secure with tape.

Folding wrapping paper around box
Taping gift wrap edges
Step 5

Good ribbon makes all the difference. Spool out a long piece of ribbon. Before you cut it, wrap it around the box to make sure it's the right size.

Cutting ribbon for wrapping gift
Step 6

If you can tie a shoelace you can tie a beautiful bow. The trick is what you do after you tie the bow.

Tie a sloppy bow and take some time to adjust the length of each loop by pulling gently at the ends of the ribbon. The knot will hold it in place as you perfect it. Be sure to start with an extra-long length of ribbon.

Ribbon being tied around gift
Fluffing the ribbon bow ends on a gift

Step 7

Trim the ends of your ribbon. We always cut the ribbon on an angle with a sharp pair of scissors so the ribbon doesn't fray. This makes the bow look more finished.

Cutting ribbon edges on a gift

Our best kept secret: We add the gift tag after we tie the bow. Simply snip the tag at the punch hole and you can attach it underneath the knot, making the tag lay flat underneath your beautiful bow.

Holiday merry gift tag tucked under gift wrap bow

 Ta-Daaaa! You're done.

Red stripe gift with red bow and red merry gift tag in hand

Shop our full holiday gift wrap collection now.

For easy holiday gift wrapping on the go, grab a Sugar Paper gift bag and add some tissue and a gift tag.

Holiday Gift Bags in Hand