Using newspaper for wrapping paper

[goodeats]

I'm buying those $.99 Trader Joes red bags to put my Christmas gifts in. Just an easy way to wrap things in an environmentally specific way. Plus they can use the bag to shop with!

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

Feel free to flame me.....I drive a Prius so I'm use to this

Ahhh....I drive an Escalade....How different we are...

 

[UMTerp]

We use cloth bags too! I got a bunch of cheap Christmas-type fabric after the holidays one year. I got a $1 bag of ribbon remnants. Made draw-string bags of various sizes/prints and used the ribbons to close them. Some I sewed the ribbon into a side seam to wrap around the bag. We have been using these for the last 4 years and everyone likes them (even the kids). Santa does traditional wrap though (until the kids are a little older). I would rather use the cloth than newspaper but to each his/her own!

UMTerp

 

[HayGan]

To the people who suggested the cloth gift bags - what a great idea! Maybe not for the kids, but the adults in our family would really love this. I'm all excited to try it. Thanks.

They are really great! My kids even love them. We leave the bags and soem wrapping paper out on Christmas for Santa wrap their gifts in. My kids believe that they have their own special elves (assigned by Santa when they are 4) that wrap the gifts in the bags/paper after Santa leaves. Then the elves return to the North Pole with occasional visits to check on them

 

[Earstou]

Glad to "meet" another Prius owner! It's actually DH who mostly drives ours, but when I do have it, I've always gotten nice comments/ interested questions from people. Sorry to hear you're getting flame-y ones.

I drive one, too!

I use the Sunday comic section for wrapping presents, but not the regular newspaper due to ink rubbing off.
When my kids were younger, we decorated plain white shirt boxes with paint, stencils, stamps and glitter. No wrapping paper needed.
These are still being circulated thru the family!

 

[OKWAnneMarie]

I can't stand newsprint on fingers, countertops, anywhere.....so I would totally avoid using newspaper as wrapping paper. I'm a person who reads a paper VERY quickly, just so I can throw it away before the ink gets on my couch, counter, etc.

**I'd go with the brown paper bag idea.

I can't stand the ink, either. It bothers my eyes BIG TIME!!!

 

[KikiFan]

I'm all for being enviromentally friendly but personally using newspaper to wrap presents seems messy, not very attractive and very depressing.

In my family, we use bags for almost everything and the same bags get reused year after year. If we use a box, we get the pretty decorated boxes and forego the wrapping paper. And if it's a large present that needs to be wrapped - we gently unwrap - so that it can be reused for smaller presents.

It's a family joke that nothing gets thrown away on Christmas. We've got bows and ribbon that are as old as my daughter. My mom has made some incredibly elaborate bows over the years and it's a game in our house to see who gets certain bows and ribbons each year.

 

[Green Tea]

I can't stand newsprint on fingers, countertops, anywhere.....so I would totally avoid using newspaper as wrapping paper. I'm a person who reads a paper VERY quickly, just so I can throw it away before the ink gets on my couch, counter, etc.

**I'd go with the brown paper bag idea.

What she said, except I'd spring for the real paper.

 

[rparmfamily]

Thanks guys!

Yes, Hawaii (O'ahu specifically, can't speak for the other islands) has no curbside recycling except a new test program in a few communities.

This gives me some good ideas. I did pick up a few gift cards (which I know are plastic haha but at least they save on shipping,etc) but otherwise I may use my papers lol.