Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this week you’ve probably stocked up on more loot than a chipmunk with a hoarding complex. But if the idea of wrapping one more present has your packing peanuts in a jumble, you might want to consider these nifty no-wrap solutions!
Elf Week rookies, these ideas won’t help you much on the Wrapping Paper Relay, but they’re sure to save you a bundle of time and energy on gifting this holiday season. We understand more than anyone that the North Pole gets pretty busy this time of year! So take our advice…
1.) Let Pretty Packaging Pull Its Weight
Festively designed products not only look spiffy under the Spruce, they practically do the work for you when it comes to presentation. We love this adorable package of Pancake Mix from Chasing Fireflies, and these Scented Candle Tins from Voluspa. With not a stitch of Scotch Tape in sight, they’ll be the prettiest gifts ever to grace your tree skirt.
2.) Give the Gift of Monthly Installments
The mailbox may seem an unlikely place to present a present, but the magic of surprise will last your recipient year-round with one well-picked magazine subscription. Finding the perfect gift isn’t always easy, but today’s newsstands have wide range topics covering a spectrum that’s as vast as the Arctic tundra! With retailers such as Amazon.com offering a cartload of Magazine Specials this holiday season, your gifting options are limitless and affordable.
3.) Join the Club… for a Loved One
Uncle Jim has some weird hobbies… But with a little research, you might just find that he’s one of many to enjoy his particular brand of wacky pursuits. From outdoor bowling enthusiasts to P.G. Woodhouse fans, there truly is a club out there for everyone. So sign your friend or loved one up! A lot of these memberships include some pretty cool perks, like Film Movement. Its movie buff members receive a DVD each month of a new independent or foreign film, which has yet to be released even in theaters. Sites such as AmazingClubs.com offer a ton of oddball memberships as well.
4.) “Picture” a Great Holiday Gift
Decorative photo albums are a sweet, personal way to wrap-up the old year. Better still, the books are often too eye-catching to cover up! You can fill them with family snapshots, or funny quotes and inside jokes from the past 12 months. We think these Albums from Anthropologie have just the right balance of charm and humor to fit the bill. Plus, they’re as pretty as a picture!
5.) Find Just the Ticket
Brightly colored and in seasonal themes, lottery tickets tend to go over well this time of year. (The potential gift of early retirement is a crowd-pleaser at most holiday office parties!) But if you’d rather not encourage gambling, you can opt for something less polarizing. Research has shown that experiences have a much higher retention rate in long-term memory than material possessions. You can use this piece of information to your advantage this holiday season by giving your special someone tickets to an event they might enjoy. Naturally, being the provider of such a gift implies that you’ll double as “Guest” on the outing as well…but that’s neither here nor there. Ticketmaster.com is a great place to start!
6.) Try to Contain Yourself
We know you make a mean fruitcake, but when giving the gift of baked goods (or any consumable, really), you should take the opportunity to leave a more lasting impression. Perk up your homemade treats by bringing them in cool containers or pretty platters. The host will doubtlessly be impressed by your presentation, but also pleased as punch when you tell her those fancy Italian Glass Bottles are hers to keep!
7.) Splurge for a Cause
In this season of giving, you really can’t go wrong with a morally responsible charitable donation. Many noted organizations promote this type of gifting around the holidays. For example, the World Wildlife Fund allows you to Adopt a Polar Bear, or other endangered species, for your friend or loved one. The recipient can even choose which species they’d like to help save with the donation later on. Though virtually unwrappable, this gift has an undeniable warm-and-fuzzy factor that can’t be beat!
We hope this list of presents spares you a few paper cuts this Christmas! But remember, The Wrapping Paper Relay won’t roll out for another couple of weeks, so you’ve still got plenty of time to work on your Quadruple Loop Star Bow, and Figure Eight Curly-Swirly Ribbon Cluster! Until then, keep your peepers unwrapped for these paperless presents online and in stores.
Happy Gifting!
@chinatown: Awesome deal! Thanks for the tip :)
$0.99 Store gift bags.