Many people spend lots of time and money decorating their Christmas tree, however they don't put any thought into the gifts below the tree.
Your wrapped Christmas gifts under your tree are a part of your Christmas decorations, so they should be just as nice.
Don't reuse gift bags that do not color coordinate with your color scheme (or at least hide them at the very back of your Christmas tree).
Don't try to please children with the gift wrap because they typically only care about what is inside the box.
Gifts can be on display under your Christmas tree for up to a month before Christmas, so they should look their best.
Here are a designer tips and tricks to color coordinate your Christmas gift wrap with your Christmas tree.
Style
Your Christmas gift wrap should be in a similar style to the style of your Christmas tree.
If you have a rustic Christmas tree, consider using plain kraft paper and jute twine. You can embellish your gifts with a rustic ornament or pine cone.
If you have a glamorous Christmas tree with lots of bling, consider using metallic or flocked wrapping paper with luxurious fabric bows. Satin and velvet ribbons are a designer favorite.
If you have a glamorous rustic Christmas tree, you can use glamorous paper with rustic ribbon and rustic paper with glamorous ribbon.
Color
The color scheme of your Christmas tree should also be reflected in the color of your gift wrap.
If your Christmas tree has several colors, then use several different colors of wrapping papers with those colors.
You can also try to find one wrapping paper with several of your Christmas tree colors.
If your Christmas tree tends to be one color, then use various shades of that color for wrapping paper and/or various patterns of wrapping paper with that color. You might want to add a neutral color for interest.
Textural wrapping paper and ribbons are especially important when using a monochromatic color scheme.
Pattern
If using several different wrapping papers and gift bags to wrap Christmas gifts, you need to ensure that the gift wrap patterns coordinate.
Typically, you can use one large scale pattern with one medium scale pattern, one small scale pattern, and multiple solid colors.
Do not use several very busy different patterned papers that might clash.
You can even use a printed wrapping paper with a solid ribbon on one gift and a ribbon in the same pattern as the printed paper with a solid wrapping paper on another gift.
Some people prefer to not use any pattern, but to use different textures instead of pattern to create interest.
Variety
To create a collection of cohesively decorated Christmas gifts, consider using 3 different wrapping papers and 3 different ribbons. You might be able to use as many as 5 different papers, but don't do too many else it won't look cohesive.
The ribbons can be similar in style and color but different widths, or similar widths with different materials (such as velvet, satin, and burlap) or colors.
Consider using more than 1 type of ribbon on a few Christmas gifts for variety.
You can mix and match the wrapping paper and ribbons to create different gift wrap combinations.
You can also attach the ribbons to the gifts in different ways to create even more variations.
Some smaller gifts can get a simple ribbon while larger gifts get a large bow.
