Finding the perfect gifts for your loved ones is the easy part when it comes to Christmas gift giving. However, wrapping the perfect present can prove to be stressful when the presentation of your thoughtful gift doesn’t match up to the gift itself.

Maybe the paper is bunched up and wrinkled or the bow doesn’t sit quite right, either way you are disappointed that the gifts you’ve spent so long thinking about and buying don’t quite fit the aesthetic you imagined for them when wrapped. You may think that some people just have a natural talent in gift wrapping and so have simply resigned yourself to giftboxes with stick on ribbon or Santa themed gift bags. At Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa we are here to tell you that your Christmas gift aesthetic dreams are about to come true, because this year we’ve created an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide for wrapping the perfect Christmas gift that will make anyone a present-wrapping aficionado.

Gather Equipment

There are just a handful of items needed to perfectly wrap your Christmas presents. These are:

·        Wrapping paper- The thicker the wrapping paper the better. Select a design that complements your decoration theme to ensure that the presents look perfect when placed under the Christmas tree.

·        Scissors- Make sure it is sharp enough so as the glide along the paper with ease and avoid tears.

·        Ribbon – Choose colours that complement your chosen wrapping paper, perhaps an accent colour from your decorations. You will need about 5 times the length of the gift.

·        Sticky tape – choose a good quality tape that is about an inch wide to ensure it will hold the paper well but not be too noticeable.

·        Box (optional) – Placing the gift inside a box before wrapping will make it easier to wrap if it is an unusual shape.

Start Wrapping

1. To perfectly wrap your gift, follow these steps.  Unroll the wrapping paper and place the ready-to-wrap gift face-down on the sheet while it is still attached to the roll. Use scissors to cut paper along one side, making a wide enough sheet to cover both sides of the gift. 
2. From the same side as the roll, pull the paper taut up and over the far end of the box. Secure it to the gift with sticky tape, and crease the paper along the edge of the gift with your thumb and index finger. 
3. Unroll the paper and bring it to meet the already wrapped end of the gift. Carefully cut the paper from the roll, avoiding any tears or jagged ends in the paper and leaving an inch of overhang. Fold that inch under and crease along the fold as above. Secure the paper again with sticky tape. 
4. Next, move on to one of the open ends of the gift. Push the sides of the paper inward, creating four 45-degree-angle flaps. Then fold down the top flap. Crease the edge sharply along the top, then carefully cut the paper along this bottom crease. Finally, secure to the gift and repeat this step on the opposite end.

Add a Ribbon

To give an extra festive effect add a ribbon. Choose a ribbon about an inch thick or more and lay it out lengthways. Place your perfectly wrapped gift face down on the ribbon and pull the ends of the ribbon with one end placed over the other then pull them width ways. Next, turn over the gift where you should have two ends ready to tie in bow. Double knot the ribbon into a simple bow pulling the loops to your desired shape. Finally trim the bow ends to your desired shape and length. For an extra detail carefully curl the ribbon ends by holding the top part near the loop tightly against your thumb with the edge of the scissors quickly pulling them up the length of the ribbon.

Now that you’ve followed these steps you have gift wrapped like a professional. Don’t forget to add a personalised name tag to your gift before placing it under the tree for Christmas day.

If you need some inspiration for gift for your loved ones you can check out our ESPA gift guide here or our monetary and experience vouchers available here.