Presents under a tree (or piled anywhere in house, for those that don’t celebrate Christmas specifically) are a sight to warm any winter heart. They signal the gathering of families. They signal love and cheer. But how do you signal for just whom the gift is intended? Forget cards or those sticky tags from the CVS—get creative with your gift tagging.

Paint the Paper

I’ve always been a huge fan of recycled kraft paper. There’s something stylish and elegant in its simplicity. It also serves as a blank canvas, which, when it comes to designating “to’s” and “from’s,” can be ideal. You’ve probably seen chalkboard paint used for decorating walls and unique apartment spaces, but it can also be used with kraft paper.  With a small roller brush, create a thick cross across the top of the gift (as you imagine a ribbon might go) with the chalkboard paint. Let it dry. With chalk you can then add any message you want.

Animals Tags

If you celebrate with a big family and loads of presents are stacked up under a tree, why not assign a different animal to each member of the tribe? At theinspiredroom.net they offer free hand-drawn printed animal gift tags. You can print them out on a thicker stock of paper and single-hole punch the top. The best part? Instead of looking for your name, you’re looking for your animal, which creates a fun game for the family to play and adds and extra element of creativity to your morning.

On the Page

Wrapping gifts in newspaper or old books (and decorating them with jute twine and pine twigs) is creative, but if the words are already on the page, you can circle the letters of who the gift is to and give your giftee a fun little word hunt.

 

-Arianna Schioldager