Gift Bags vs. Wrapping Paper

[HHIgirl]

What do you use more of to disguise your gifts? I realize gift bags don't offer much protection and get expensive. I just think they look so pretty and are re-useable (yes, I am cheap that way). Wrapping paper makes a big huge mess and can be also used as cat toys. We actually have a combination of both under our tree. What about everyone else?

[pandagirl]

Gift bags seem more appropriate to me for giftwrap-challenged guys. I'm wrapping paper all the way -- but don't go by me because I actually enjoy wrapping gifts. And, as you say, wrapping paper and ribbons do make excellent cat toys and I live to serve my Rufus.

[Sparks]

Hiya, Jen! I think the gift bags are great for gifts that are irregular in shape, that you can't fit in a box etc......My daughter and I were wrapping up her gifts to bring in to school and I was mentioning the phenomenon I have noticed with "gift bags". Have you noticed that the trend seems to be that it's more 'appropriate' not to write anything on the tag so that the recipient can re-use the bag? This is just my personal observation from a very up-tight, upper-crusty area of the Northeast....LOL

[Hershey]

I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight until this issue is resolved.

[IceCat516]

I love to wrap so I'm not a good one to ask, but definitely gift bag oddly shaped items like Sparks said. :o)

[Acura]

I'm a gift bag person.

[Sparks]

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Acura:
I'm a gift bag person.
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Don't write on those tags!!! LOL

[Hershey]

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Sparks:

Don't write on those tags!!! LOL
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LOL Yeah, I've made that mistake!

[Curvigirl]

First off, it's not cheap, it's environmentally responsible to recycle gift bags!

Secondly, a few years ago my darling daughters sat me down for an intervention. They told me politely but firmly that gift bags just don't cut it--they may be more convenient, but it's not nearly as much fun as peeling the paper off a wrapped gift.

Ever the dutiful mother, I henceforth wrapped their gifts whenever possible, using lots of tape and decorative baubles, so as to make their little happy little lives that much closer to perfection.

So last week I go to visit DD1, now in her first apartment, to see her first grown-up Christmas tree. And what do I see underneath her tree?

Lots of presents.

In BAGS.

[pink]

I use both, but mostly bags. I did get from QVC last year this set that had the boxes and the paper that was taped and cut and shaped for each size box. All the people I gave them to really loved them. Oh, I guess I make a lot of people made, I write on the gift tags hanging from the little bags!

[Acura]

They always seemed to get recycled back to me. My mom makes gift tags for hers and my sister will just pull the tag off and give the gift in the same bag.

[Hershey]

A girlfriend of mine and I recycled the same gift bag for years. It was a great bag (especially pretty and a good size for any gift) and after a couple of years it became a running joke with us. It finally fell apart but we gave a lot of great gifts and had a few laughs over that bag!

[HHIgirl]

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Hershey:
I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight until this issue is resolved.
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LMBO! I was feeling the same thing.

I like the running gift bag trick. My sis and I do the same thing.

We have been passing the same Old Navy gift bag with the dogs on it back and forth for years.

[Vivvie]

Viv here is a gift wrap FREAK! I have a 'wrapping theme' each year and spend way too much time looking for the right paper, ribbon, bows etc. based on the theme (this year it is Retro). My house is not big so when it comes to wrapping I have everything all over my kitchen floor and do all my wrapping there .... along with a huge pot of coffee!!!! ... On average it takes 20 min for me to wrap each present ... regardless of size !!!! But I love it !!!!! - for me it is very relaxing. I do DO the gift bags also for my Santa' gifts ... but again, I exaggerate on those to ... I cannot just put the item in the bag and let it go ... I use ribbon, raffia, etc. Fun Fun Fun!

Happy Holidays to everyone on the board and all your families!!!!!

Hugs!
Viv

[Linda Lou]

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Hershey:
I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight until this issue is resolved.
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Yep, more sarcasm. Only your topics are interesting.

Of course, Christmas IS your favorite holiday, isn't it?? LOL! :D

[Hershey]

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Linda Lou:
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Hershey:
I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight until this issue is resolved.
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Yep, more sarcasm. Only your topics are interesting.

Of course, Christmas IS your favorite holiday, isn't it?? LOL! :D
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Linda Lou, you haven't posted here in days (mercifully) and come on the board today only to attack me. Yawn. Got anything else to say besides attacking me during holiday season? The board was doing just fine - and being much more pleasant - without you.

[Linda L.]

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Hershey:
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Linda Lou:
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Hershey:
I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight until this issue is resolved.
www.tvtalkshows.com/board/showpost.php?p=1604947
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Yep, more sarcasm. Only your topics are interesting.

Of course, Christmas IS your favorite holiday, isn't it?? LOL! :D
www.tvtalkshows.com/board/showpost.php?p=1605308
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Linda Lou, you haven't posted here in days (mercifully) and come on the board today only to attack me. Yawn. Got anything else to say besides attacking me during holiday season? The board was doing just fine - and being much more pleasant - without you.
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Oh come on Hersh. You were the one being obviously sarcastic to Jenn, again. You always have to be nasty. You and your leading questions. Tsk. And YOU KNOW you don't like the holiday season a bit, you've said it before on another board..

Would you believe that some might be glad to see YOU go?? My posts to you were a gift. LOL! I know you LOVE to argue, and figured that the tension for you must be building. :D

[Hershey]

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Linda L.:
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Hershey:
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Linda Lou:
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Hershey:
I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight until this issue is resolved.
www.tvtalkshows.com/board/showpost.php?p=1604947
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Yep, more sarcasm. Only your topics are interesting.

Of course, Christmas IS your favorite holiday, isn't it?? LOL! :D
www.tvtalkshows.com/board/showpost.php?p=1605308
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Linda Lou, you haven't posted here in days (mercifully) and come on the board today only to attack me. Yawn. Got anything else to say besides attacking me during holiday season? The board was doing just fine - and being much more pleasant - without you.
www.tvtalkshows.com/board/showpost.php?p=1605323
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Oh come on Hersh. You were the one being obviously sarcastic to Jenn, again. You always have to be nasty. You and your leading questions. Tsk. And YOU KNOW you don't like the holiday season a bit, you've said it before on another board..

Would you believe that some might be glad to see YOU go?? My posts to you were a gift. LOL! I know you LOVE to argue, and figured that the tension for you must be building. :D
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Saving. This post speaks for itself.

[Linda L.]

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Hershey:
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Linda L.:
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Hershey:
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Linda Lou:
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Hershey:
I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight until this issue is resolved.
www.tvtalkshows.com/board/showpost.php?p=1604947
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Yep, more sarcasm. Only your topics are interesting.

Of course, Christmas IS your favorite holiday, isn't it?? LOL! :D
www.tvtalkshows.com/board/showpost.php?p=1605308
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Linda Lou, you haven't posted here in days (mercifully) and come on the board today only to attack me. Yawn. Got anything else to say besides attacking me during holiday season? The board was doing just fine - and being much more pleasant - without you.
www.tvtalkshows.com/board/showpost.php?p=1605323
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Oh come on Hersh. You were the one being obviously sarcastic to Jenn, again. You always have to be nasty. You and your leading questions. Tsk. And YOU KNOW you don't like the holiday season a bit, you've said it before on another board..

Would you believe that some might be glad to see YOU go?? My posts to you were a gift. LOL! I know you LOVE to argue, and figured that the tension for you must be building. :D
www.tvtalkshows.com/board/showpost.php?p=1605325
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Saving. This post speaks for itself.
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Good. I have quite a few of your posts saved, for when I need a real good laugh.

[sandy38]

Gift Bags Are For Lazy People!!! How Long Does It Take To Wrap A Gift??? Three Minutes Top! I Bet The Christmas Tree Is Have Decorated Too! Christmas Cards With No Signature! Turkey With No Gravey. You Get The Point. L-A-Z-I-N-E-S-S Wheeeee! Time For Some More Eggnog!

[kitten4762]

To me, pulling something out of a gift bag just doesn't feel as special as actually unwrapping something. And my kids peek in them...so I only use gift bags when the gift is pretty much impossible to wrap. And I do write on the tags. If someone wants to reuse the bag, they can just stick a tag on it.

[HHIgirl]

Hi cute smushy face kitten

Gift bags should be used in certain ways. Such as a small LV waipiti case housing the box from Winston's or Tiffany's that hides the lovely that will then earn you the matching luggage from one small gift bag.


(hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

[beekeeper]

If I'm in a hurry, a gift bag is great (run into Target, buy gift, bag, voila ... done!) but I'm generally pretty prepared and LOVE wrapping gifts. I like to make the gift look SO fantastic, the gift recipient doesn't want to open it! lol ...

I bought the best gift wrap, ribbon and bows from Hobby Lobby this year! The paper I bought even had grid lines on the back so cutting a straight line is no longer a problem. I do have to admit, it wasn't before cuz I use a straight edge and an exacto knife ... hehe ... but I like everything to be perfect! Martha would be so freakn' proud! I even make my own bows with velvet ribbon, and then buy a Christmas ornament to hang from the bow. It's all in the details ... ;-)

[Curvigirl]

I've never done this before, but DD wanted to go shopping early The Morning After and spend her gift cards so I ventured into the gift wrap departments of a couple of stores--I bought everything I'll need for next year, including some awesomely gorgeous decorated boxes. All I'll need to buy is tissue and some ribbon. I can't wait for next Christmas!

So now that I'm uber-prepared, watch me get hit by a train between now and then. :P

[Vivvie]

good for you curvi ... i am 'theme' girl and won't even think about wrapping until about oct and will then decide how and what i will wrap my gifts in. maybe i will take the natural route next year and make my own .... take red, green or any other colored tissue paper you like ... lay the pieces out on your garage or basement floor. take a paint brush, dip in bleach and splatter your paper .... the tissue will take on really cool white designs. i then let them dry, wrap each gift with two sheet of paper and tie with raffia. way cool and way cheap.

viv

[Curvigirl]

One year I used plain brown paper (the kind you wrap packages to ship in) and rubber stamped them with a pear design in gold ink, then colored them in with all kinds of shading. That was probably the prettiest paper I've ever used.

That was back in the days before TV Talk consumed my spare time! LOL

[sam king cat]

I buy a lot of rolls of the brown versatile paper. One year, I used a roll of red and a roll of black electrical tape and created the plaid look of Burberry. Quite fun and simple to do.

[Curvigirl]

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sam king cat:
I buy a lot of rolls of the brown versatile paper. One year, I used a roll of red and a roll of black electrical tape and created the plaid look of Burberry. Quite fun and simple to do.
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That sounds interesting!

My future SIL and his brother wrap their gifts to each other in silver duct tape--by wrapping the item (usually a CD or DVD in a case) with two or three layers, just to annoy the heck out of each other.

[sam king cat]

CG, I think the cellophane shrink-wrap on the CDs is just about Annoying (with a capital A !) ...couldn't think of having to deal with the duct tape....LOL ....I hope the gift comes with an exacto knife ? lol

[kitten4762]

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sam king cat:
CG, I think the cellophane shrink-wrap on the CDs is just about Annoying (with a capital A !) ...couldn't think of having to deal with the duct tape....LOL ....I hope the gift comes with an exacto knife ? lol
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I saw one of those As Seen On TV type advertisements today for a cd and dvd opener. You slide your cd or dvd into this little slot thing and it cuts through all the cellophane, tape, security device, whatever. I actually thought about ordering it.

[sam king cat]

Kitten, I am not sure if it is the same plastic gadget that I have...(suppliers from the companies I deal with have sent me ...it does work....if I have extra ....I will send you one...have to check...half the time I can't even find my own things...lol) ....it is not a slot thing that you slide the package through....it is more of a little knife type thingey... that tears the plastic ....will get back to 'ya on that...

[kitten4762]

The thing I was talking about is called the CD Stripper. Seems kind of expensive to me but it got good reviews on amazon.com.

SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMwww.thecdstripper.com/

[sam king cat]

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kitten4762:
The thing I was talking about is called the CD Stripper. Seems kind of expensive to me but it got good reviews on amazon.com.

SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMwww.thecdstripper.com/
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$20 bucks ?????

[kitten4762]

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sam king cat:
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kitten4762:
The thing I was talking about is called the CD Stripper. Seems kind of expensive to me but it got good reviews on amazon.com.

SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMwww.thecdstripper.com/
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$20 bucks ?????
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For real. But you get a cd AND dvd opener. They demonstrated them on tv and it took like one second to open a wrapped cd. I got a cd for Christmas and it took me fifteen minutes to get it open. I ended up cracking the cd case in the process. $20 might actually be worth it.

[sam king cat]

Hope you didn't break a nail. I picture you with nice nails (perhaps you may have posted about your nails, not sure) just an image I have. How much is the S/H?

[kitten4762]

I'm not sure about the s&h.
I posted that I was going to get Cao Boi from Survivor to do my nails but he is always busy or not there when I go in. My nails look like crap right now.

[sam king cat]

Your not going to get those fakes are you?

[Curvigirl]

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kitten4762:
I'm not sure about the s&h.
I posted that I was going to get Cao Boi from Survivor to do my nails but he is always busy or not there when I go in. My nails look like crap right now.
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Cao Boi works in your nail salon? He's quite a character. (Whatever you do, just remember NEVER to mention it if you have a headache!)

[kitten4762]

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Curvigirl:
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kitten4762:
I'm not sure about the s&h.
I posted that I was going to get Cao Boi from Survivor to do my nails but he is always busy or not there when I go in. My nails look like crap right now.
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Cao Boi works in your nail salon? He's quite a character. (Whatever you do, just remember NEVER to mention it if you have a headache!)
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Yea, he's the owner/manager but he does nails too. There's been a "Closed for Survivor Reunion" sign on the door for 2 weeks. I guess he's coming back...?