How to Handle Holiday Gift Wrapping
Making Gift Wrapping a Sustainable Practice
At Day MyLane, we believe that your humanity is your superpower. and that means shopping intentionally, supporting brands that share your values and choosing products that don't cost the earth. In an earlier blog post, we talked about how choosing independent black owned brands this Christmas could help support your community.
Now we want to look at how choosing sustainable wrapping practices can help save the earth. Did you know that almost 4 million tons of wrapping paper ends up in landfills every year? To put that in perspective, that’s the equivalent of 20,000 blue whales. The lengthiest blue whales are 110 feet, but on the average are between 70 and 80 feet. Adult blue whales weigh up to 150 tons.
How mind-blowing is that?
The good news is with a little creativity, you can help lower that number with some unique wrapping ideas. Sure, you could go out and find some eco-friendly wrapping paper, but we think there are some more inventive options
Let’s look at a couple of fun alternative ways you can wrap your gifts this Christmas and minimize, or better yet, avoid any excess waste.
Bags That Double As Gift Hampers
A gift within a gift? Sounds too easy to be true, but we actually think this simple hack is ingenious. Have you found the perfect tote or pouch to gift your loved one this Christmas? Why not try using it as the base of the perfectly personalized hamper? The possibilities are endless. You could fill it with their favorite self care and makeup staples. Are they going away for a New Year holiday? You could create a vacation themed hamper with vacation essentials and a swimsuit to rock poolside. You get to decide what goes in your hamper based on the person you are creating it for.
Want something a little more simple? It could be as easy as grabbing their favorite treats for them to enjoy over the holidays. (P.S. For a little bit of a personal touch, think hot chocolate drink packs, candy canes and a gift card all delivered in our delightful mugs).
Japanese Furoshiki Wrapping
This Japanese wrapping method is the perfect example of how effortlessly elegant zero waste wrapping can be. Furoshiki is the practice of using a piece of cloth or fabric to wrap gifts, goods, or lunch boxes.What can you use to wrap your Christmas gifts furoshiki style? That’s the best part. It can be as simple or as creative as you like. You could upcycle some old fabric that you already have on hand or find some festive material from the store and cut it up into individual pieces. Our favorite way is to use a scarf, or one of our head wraps to wrap that extra special gift.
Our range of scarves come in varying sizes, making them suitable for wrapping a range of gifts. Choose from a selection of designs to capture the perfect message that you want to share with your loved one on Christmas day. From Ore Mi, which means “My Friend” in Yoruba to our Igbo, Terms of Endearment scarf that shares three different terms of endearment in Igbo next to their English translation. We have a scarf for every person in your life.
For smaller gifts, we think the playful and bold design of our head wrap is perfect. Plus, the messaging is so on point for this time of the year. The unique print showcases all the different ways people across the African continent express their love, because even though love is universal, we all express it in unique ways. Making these the perfect present, and when used to wrap another gift, they will be a showstopper under the tree this year.
We endeavor to produce most products to order, reducing our carbon footprint and waste contribution, making us the perfect brand for your conscious and sustainable gifts for Christmas. Whether you decide to create the perfect personalized hamper with a bag or choose to wrap a gift in a soft and sentimental scarf or head wrap, we’re sure the personal touch will leave your friends and family feeling a little extra special this year.
