Is It Acceptable To Wrap All My Presents In Gift Bags?

Let’s cut to the chase or in this case, through the craft paper: do you ever wrap your presents in a bag? Yes, putting a present or two in a cute gift bag with a sheet of tissue paper is always easy to do, but is it too much of a shortcut? According to the Gift Wrap Goddess Mia Canada, using a bag will never do. “You have to think about the connotation that comes with giving a bag,” says Canada. “It shows you that the gift and the presentation of it was an afterthought.” 

Canada is the founder of That’s A Wrap! Atlanta, a professional gift wrapping and event service that’s celebrating 16 years of operation this year. Throughout her gift-focused career, Canada has discovered that the secret to the perfect gift goes beyond the gift itself. It has to be presented in a thoughtful, meaningful way.

Why A Real Southerner Should Wrap With Care

In the South, most of us are present perfectionists. We spend hours going to our favorite boutiques, antique shops and more looking for gifts for those we love. For goodness sake, we give Happy’s year-round and we bake all sorts of sweets to give to our neighbors until we run out of cookie tins. Obviously, the way we present our gifts should reflect all the love we’ve put into finding or making that gift.

How To Wrap The Gifts Normally Put Into A Bag?

We tend to put large, soft items like blankets and fragile, glass items like wine bottles into bags because we don’t know what else to do with them. Canada says that for these hard-to-wrap items, we should focus less on trying to disguise the gift through our wrapping and focus more on using materials that adapt themselves better to the shape of the gift. She explains that we should not shy away from softer options like tissue paper and fabric. “Using fabric is beautiful,” Canada shares. The fabric you choose is truly a gift in itself: it’s better for the environment and you can repurpose it in other craft projects.

How To Make Sure Your Gifts Will Always Be Well Received

Canada makes it clear that wrapping a gift doesn’t have to be fancy, it just needs to be thoughtful. Take time to really think about the person that you are giving this gift to. Ask yourself questions like: What’s their favorite color? Do they have a favorite flower or place that has deep sentimental meaning to them? What makes them smile? Use the answers to guide your gift wrapping choices and wrap a present in a way that reveals all the love you have for that person. Find a ribbon in their favorite color. Place or draw their favorite flower on the wrapping paper. Include a piece of their favorite candy or something else that you know will stick out that person. Canada likes to make sure that the present she wrapped is the first thing someone notices under a tree, and by using that person’s favorite things, she is able to create something magical. 

Another gift wrapping go-to for Canada is to look in nature for fun gift wrapping embellishments. “You don’t have to have really fancy, handmade ribbons or hand spun silk or anything like that,” Canada reveals. “You can wrap them in a brown paper bag with a bright ribbon and some orange slices or cinnamon sticks.” Canada loves to dry slices of citrus in the oven and find greenery like holly for a truly festive looking gift.