Handwritten Christmas Wrapping

My husband is one of the greatest wrappers ever. No, not the freestyle type – although he would beg to argue on that one – I’m talking gift wrapping peeps. He’s so good that it actually bothers me. You want to know why? Because I don’t know how it’s humanly possible to be such a perfectionist about paper that is going to be thrown away seconds after the gift is open.

He’s such a perfectionist that every section of paper he uses is cut perfectly, every crease and fold is flawless and he loses his mind if tape is placed in the wrong direction (I learned that the hard way this year).  Oh and on top of it, he demands almost every gift be placed in a box because his OCD-self can’t handle a gift not being in pristine condition.

And then there’s me. The let’s-get-this-over-with-because-I’m-a-horrible-gift-wrapper-type. I don’t have the patience for it. While I don’t quite understand my husband’s fascination with wrapping a present perfectly, I do think the thought and time he puts into buying gifts and wrapping them is super cute and I admire it.

This year, I wanted to contribute to his effort by adding a personal touch to the paper he wraps so nicely. I love writing quotes in pretty fonts on chalkboards and paper, so I decided to show our families we care through some calligraphy.

It was pretty simple and didn’t take too long (even for last-minute gift wrappers like us). I searched for “Christmas prints” on Etsy and found a bunch of prints with verses from Christmas songs. I had my husband wrap the gifts first in plain tan paper I bought from Hobby Lobby.  Then I used a pencil to mirror the prints I found and traced over that with a few different permanent markets. I used both thin and thick tipped markers. To add a little color, I bought greenery and berries from the grocery store and also used some jingle bells and pine cones I had lying around with our Christmas decorations.

If this seems like too much work for you, just adding twine and some greenery adds a nice, warm touch to gifts. The great thing about using plain paper is that you can mix and match with the pretty paper you can buy at the store.

If you end up being inspired by this post, don’t forget to tag #marinamakesdiy.