Christmas

Perfect Presentation of a Secret Santa Gift

Few sights make anybody feel more festive than a big pile of wrapped gifts. It’s the archetypical image of Christmas, and the imagination runs wild while they wait to be unwrapped. Anything is possible – who knows, maybe there’s a Rolex in there somewhere.

In a Secret Santa environment, it’s tempting to let presentation fall by the wayside. After all, this event is supposed to be a little light-hearted fun. What’s the point in wasting time, effort and money on wrapping when you can just pinch a jiffy bag or some brawn parcel paper from the office stationery cupboard?

Try to avoid this temptation. Secret Santa is considerably more fun when people get into the spirit of the season. Here’s a guide to perfect presentation for your Secret Santa gift.

Wrapping Paper

Yes, wrapping paper is essential. Using a spare napkin, tin foil or company letterhead from the nearest printer just looks like you could not be bothered to make any effort. If you can, take the wrapping paper up a notch.

Use a design that you know will appeal to the recipient, such as dogs or cats if they are pet owners. Look for a recyclable paper where possible, too. Environmental conscientiousness is increasingly important to many of us, and you may curry favour by keeping this in mind.

Labels

It’s tempting to slap a plain white label on a gift and write the recipient’s name on with a Sharpie. Can you be a little more creative, though? Design your label, or just fasten a tag and sign the gift from Santa. You could even refer to the contents at this stage.

Remember, Secret Santa gifts exchanges are less about gifting somebody a present that will make their Christmas. It’s more about the experience, and showing a colleague, friend or family member that they matter enough for a little effort. This is what will raise a smile, more than the contents of the wrapping paper.

Bows and Ribbons

Bows and ribbons are optional, but they certainly make a gift look and feel more heartfelt and special. You don’t even need to purchase expensive silk ribbons. Just a standard piece of string adds a certain flavour to the gift-giving experience.

If you do have ribbons, however, you can make your own bow. It’s easier than you make by following these steps:

Create three loops in your ribbon. Two of these should face upward, and one down. Grab the two upward-facing loops and cross the right loop over the left. Now fold the right loop through the downward-facing centre loop
Voila! You have a bow to fasten to the gift

This is just another minute of your time, but it could make all the difference to the appearance of a gift.

Additional Wrapping

You could also consider having a little fun with additional wrapping of your gift. It’s always amusing to set the imagination racing by presenting a large box. There is nothing to say you cannot wrap the ‘real’, much smaller gift inside this giant vessel.

Alternatively, add a little personalisation to the wrapping process. Use conventional wrapping paper for the exterior, then use photographs or something similar to add an extra layer of wrapping to the gift itself. This will make the recipient smile, prolong the mystery, and potentially offer a further later of protection for anything delicate.

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