#350 Just barely wrapping a gift with that tiny scrap of leftover wrapping paper

Neil Pasricha

Thanks, jewelry box, random bar of soap, and chocolate orange.

You came through in the clutch to help use the final shredded scrap of wrap.

AWESOME!

Photo from: here

29 thoughts to “#350 Just barely wrapping a gift with that tiny scrap of leftover wrapping paper”

  1. This is SO satisfying! For two reasons. First of all, it’s a pain to have to bust out the whole huge roll and cut off a tiny slice for the gift in question. Second of all, and most obviously, it feels so great to be able to use up that little sliver that had just been WAITING for the perfect gift to wrap. Bonus for not having to trim / alter the paper any way.

    By the way, my vote is for bad origami. Definitely. Pretty sure that is reminiscent of a crane I once attempted.

    1. If you look at it upside down, it kinda looks like an angel.

      I have this problem of cutting a piece too small for the gift, so after wrapping it, I have to cut off some itty bitty squares to cover my mistake. I don’t want to cut off a new piece when I can just cover the gap.

      1. I, too, am guilty of doing that at least once per season. I’ve had some pretty creative ribbon-jobs over the years in attempts to disguise the booboo.

  3. This is a talent of mine. I used to wrap gifts at the mall as a teenager and have a keen eye for scraps that can be used elsewhere. Always keep the scraps because you never know.

  5. My brother-in-law frequently shops at the last minute, like literally to the last minute right before we get together for Christmas Eve dinner and gift exchange. He’s been known to arrive in the living room with his gifts “wrapped” in all manner of paper, hardly any of it actual wrapping paper. The best ones are covered in newspaper, fastened with rubber bands. Rubber bands. I kid you not.

    1. My mom has stopped wrapping mine, she just shoves it in a plastic bag. I don’t mind cuz I’m not a big fan of unwrapping things.
      My grandma use to always wrap our stuff in newspaper, but she used tape.

        1. ……….um………….no. Should I go to the corner now for a time out?
          I use to enjoy it, back in the day, but as I grew older I came to not like it so much. When I unwrap stuff, I try not to tear the paper. Its not like I’m gonna save the paper or anything…and anytime there is a bow, it always goes on my head. One year I had a whole head full of bows.
          I don’t know why I don’t enjoy it. Its just one of those things I guess. I love to watch other people unwrap stuff, though. Most of the pics I take of my daughter on Christmas is of her unwrapping, not of her with the toy.

          1. Yes. A five-minute-shun is in order for you.

            ;)

            Hahaha … I remember when I was little my grandpa always used to take out his pocket knife and painstakingly slice open the seams of the presents he unwrapped. He’d slide the box out really carefully, and then … wad up the paper and throw it away. It was such a hoot. No one knows what he was thinking when he did that. But he did it every time.

            1. LOL! My dad always opened presents with a letter opener, but then saved the paper for next year, so at least the whole process was consistent.

  6. I am a strategic wrapper. I wrap a big thing, then I have this square cut out of the paper with this slab of rectangle. I then wrap something small to take up that extra piece. I save stuff like socks and gloves for last for when all I do have left is a piece of paper that’s like 2″x 5″ and I ususally to end up using the entire roll.
    Last year though, I don’t know what I was thinking. Halfway through my wrapping I lost my roll. (I think hubby hid it, LOL) So I grabbed another roll. After getting a few more wrapped I found the old one and wrapped the rest of the gifts in two wrapping papers. Some was wrapped in one with the other on top, so the person had to unwrap twice. Some were half and half. One of my brothers always gets his wrapped in paper, then duct tape, then paper, then duct tape, then paper. I try to use or alternate the paper with his gifts.

  8. To use scrap paper to wrap needs real talent ofcourse if you want the gift to look the best. I plan precise and cut the wrapper. It’s not the question of stinginess but shows up your talent to guess exactly how much you need.

  9. Growing up we NEVER bought new wrapping paper. We had a box of used pieces that got repurposed year after year. It was a serious offense to ever cut anything down, since there were a limited number of large pieces. Wrapping sessions always involved testing piece after piece until you found the one that matched your item exactly.

    When unwrapping, care had to be taken not to rip the paper, and it was carefully flattened and stowed back in the box for next year.

    Needless to say, although I do use new paper now, I always make sure to use up all the small pieces, even if that means wrapping up little stocking stuffers that don’t technically need to be wrapped.

  11. I just had the same issue but instead of having just the right amount of paper.
    i had to use some of the funnys from the news paper i think it looks quite good but i will find out when i give the gift to my girlfriend. I hope she wont mind

  13. When I was young, my mom used store flyers as wrapping paper. Not as pretty as wrapping paper, but just as colorful : )

  17. I wrapped my final three gifts last night. All three we in small boxes, and I was able to get them all wrapped in the last strip of paper, with just enough left over to cut into to/from tags.

    New roll for next year.

  18. There was a time all the children in the day care, (1995), were learning to wrap what would become a decoration, with a little block of wood.
    When “Ninja Turtle” boy’s mom arrived at the end of the day, he said excitedly, “Unwrap it now mommy. Come on now!” She and I said it was not supposed to be unwrapped, it was a decoration! He became frustrated, adamant and cried…she was to unwrap it and NOW! She did while he wiped his eyes dry from his darling face and sweetly said, “I heard you say we you had no money and were out of fire wood, so I got you some fire wood mommy…now you don’t need to worry no more.” It was one of the most priceless moments I’ll ever remember.

  19. Yes, it’s an awesome feeling to be able to use every bit of wrapping paper.
    Seriously, I smile and feel like I just became the latest greatest super hero,
    “Master of Environmentally Friendly!”

  20. This IS such an awesome feeling! Thought of this as an ‘awesome thing’ when I was wrapping gifts yesterday, went to submit it but realised you already had it! ;) x

  21. My kind of a blog entry definitely, Way to go on the splendid job you have done on checking the topic down into manageable information.

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