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LuckyCharms

(21,990 posts)

29. Wrap! I'm a master gift wrapper! One of my jobs as a teen was...

Thu Dec 11, 2025, 06:24 PM

Dec 11

working in a fine china shop. I was taught to gift wrap huge cardboard boxes containing a 96 piece, 12 place-setting service. I could wrap those big boxes beautifully in under 3 minutes.

The wrapping paper was on a mounted roller. In order to determine how much paper to rip off the roller, I was taught to do the following:

Take your hand and splay out your fingers. Use the distance between the tip of your thumb and the tip of your pinkie finger as a measuring device.

So splay out your fingers and see how many hands it takes to cover the top of the box, and then down one side of the box. Let's say for a big box, that total distance is five splayed out hands. Double that. Now you have 10 hands. Start pulling the paper off the roll and measure 10 hands of paper. Add a few inches for overlap. Rip the paper off the roll.

Now you have enough paper to wrap around the top, bottom, and two parallel sides.

Now you just finish off the edges. Before taping the paper down, line the box up on the paper so the factory edge of one side of the paper covers just over half way down on the edge. Then tape the paper down on the top of the box, and wrap one edge with the factory edge of the paper.

Now you just have to cut the paper for the non-factory edge. Cut it to a width that is just over half the thickness of the edge, then wrap and tape that final edge.

It's easier to do than it is to explain.

Done!

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debm55

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Highlight:

Pick one---wrap a gift or bag a gift. I pick using a Holiday bag to give my presents. I was never good a wrapping gifts [View all] debm55 Dec 11 OP

We give money in a bag with chocolates in it. Gave up on wrapping. OLDMDDEM Dec 11 #1

Thank you very much, OLDMDDEM for sharing with us. I agree, debm55 Dec 11 #3

Depends on the gift, and how much time I have. mwmisses4289 Dec 11 #2

Great idea. Thank you very much mwmisses4289 debm55 Dec 11 #5

Gift bags!! The beauty is that they can be easily reused... just add fresh decorative tissue or cello. QueerDuck Dec 11 #4

Yes, QueerDuck that is another reason to bag the gift. Thank you for sharing. debm55 Dec 11 #6

Bags are nice and handy, and I do use them Glorfindel Dec 11 #7

Thank you so much, Glorfindel. When my son was young , I would wrap the gifts. It was heartwarming to watch him open the debm55 Dec 11 #8

Wrapping is nerve wracking. Did I cut the right size paper, Polly Hennessey Dec 11 #9

HAHAHHAAHHHAHA. your post is a delight. Thank you very much for sharing with us, Polly Hennessey. Love, deb. debm55 Dec 11 #11

Bag it. I'm lazy MustLoveBeagles Dec 11 #10

HAHHAHAHAHA. Thank you very much, MustLoveBeagles. I just lack the talent to wrap except when my son was young. debm55 Dec 11 #12

This little girl was impressed with the wrapping. Silent Type Dec 11 #13

LOL, HAHAHHAHAHA. thank you so much. Silent Type. That is so funny. debm55 Dec 11 #15

I LOVE wrapping packages. PittBlue Dec 11 #14

PittBlue, you have the gift and talent to wrap. You are so lucky to be able to do that. Me, not so much. And I bet they debm55 Dec 11 #16

Back when I bought gifts I always wrapped them. Phoenix61 Dec 11 #17

Oh wow. That sounds like a delightful bag of goodies. Thank you , Phoenix61 for the White Christmas drink, I copied the debm55 Dec 11 #20

Word of warning. If you overindulge, which I did Phoenix61 Dec 11 #37

HAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHA. Thanks for the warning, Phoenix61 debm55 Dec 11 #39

It really wasn't my fault. I had a Christmas party and set Phoenix61 Dec 11 #40

Toasted Hostess sounds like a good name for a drink! 3catwoman3 Dec 11 #42

That's funny, Thank you for sharing Phoenix61. debm55 Dec 11 #43

I'm a (w)rapper from way back justaprogressive Dec 11 #18

Thank you very much, my friend. From reading your cooking recipes, justaprogressive.you are a creative and talented debm55 Dec 11 #21

I get mine wrapped by the Salvation Army women at the mall for a donation. nt doc03 Dec 11 #19

LOL I used to do that too, when we had a Mall. And given for a great cause. Thank you very much, doc03 debm55 Dec 11 #22

That is one of those skills that my mother taught me. OldBaldy1701E Dec 11 #23

Thank you OldBaldy1701E You a very creative and talented. debm55 Dec 11 #24

I was Christmas help once at a department store in NJ when I was in high school. I was put in the gift wrapping beaglelover Dec 11 #25

Thank you so much, beaglelover. for sharing with us. you are a gifted and talented gift wrapping king. debm55 Dec 11 #26

Generally, I see wrapping paper as a total waste. no_hypocrisy Dec 11 #27

Thank you very much for sharing with us, no_hypocrisy. debm55 Dec 11 #32

Deb, when I was 16 years old I worked at the mall in a big department store Diamond_Dog Dec 11 #28

I think the three of us would be great together. I will be honest I can wrap like a child could. I have a BS in Art Ed. debm55 Dec 11 #33

Wrap! I'm a master gift wrapper! One of my jobs as a teen was... LuckyCharms Dec 11 #29

Wow.LuckyCharms, I would have never guessed. It does sound interesting. Thank you for sharing. debm55 Dec 11 #34

I'm a decent wrapper Niagara Dec 11 #30

That sound beautiful. Niagara. There was year that for my homeroom class, I ordered each a pencil case with 4 pencils debm55 Dec 11 #35

Gift bags. I stopped wrapping years ago. rsdsharp Dec 11 #31

Thanks my friend rsdsharp, I could do. debm55 Dec 11 #36

Well, I'd ask you to pull me one, but some people might take it wrong. rsdsharp Dec 11 #38

Cloth bags, made by my late mother. Probably about 30 years ago, when our older son would have been 5, my mom... 3catwoman3 Dec 11 #41

Thank you very much 3catwoman3. That sounds like a great idea. May the memories of your mother be a blessing to you. debm55 Dec 11 #44

I'm a pretty good wrapper at least, sometimes good+... electric_blue68 Dec 11 #45

Thank you very much, electric_blue68 . I love your creativeness and color combinations. Sometimes I used a country theme debm55 Dec 12 #47

Burlap ribbon - interesting! It would work well for a country theme. electric_blue68 Dec 12 #60

Yes, I used fabric or brown packing paper to give it that country theme. debm55 Dec 12 #61

I used calico fabric to make it more country. debm55 Dec 13 #62

I love curling ribbon. I use it on other things besides wrapping packages yellowdogintexas Dec 22 #65

Ah, very nice! electric_blue68 Dec 22 #67

My wife is a wrapper fargone Dec 12 #46

Thank you very much for sharing with us, fargone. My husband is the wrapper., I used to be when my son was young. That debm55 Dec 12 #48

Bags only for me. catbyte Dec 12 #49

HAHAHAHAHA Thank you very much. catbyte. I can the bags with the three kitties. debm55 Dec 12 #50

If I'm taking it out of the house, I use a gift bag for it. Otherwise I wrap it, unless 50 Shades Of Blue Dec 12 #51

Great idea, 50 Shades of Blue. Thank you for sharing. It is much easier.to transport them. debm55 Dec 12 #53

😂 underpants Dec 12 #52

HAHAHAHAHAHHAH. Thank you very much, underpants. Love it. debm55 Dec 12 #55

I used to love wrapping presents Jilly_in_VA Dec 12 #54

HAHAHAHAHAHA. Thank you Jilly_in_VA. I have done the bows on the postal wrapping. debm55 Dec 12 #57

I think wrapped presents are nicer.... viva la Dec 12 #56

I agree with you viva la. wrapped gifts can be so beautiful, My wrapping skills are not great. So a bag it is. debm55 Dec 12 #58

I like to wrap gifts for my wife BOSSHOG Dec 12 #59

Oh ,that is so beautiful and wonderful of you, BOSSHOG. Merry Christimas to you and Mrs. BOSSHOG. debm55 Dec 13 #63

Totally on Team Bag a Gift. Also on Team Snatch Up All The Empty Bags for using next year yellowdogintexas Dec 22 #64

Me too, yellowdofintexas.Your post is so funny. Thank you so much. debm55 Dec 22 #66