An Easy Gift-Wrapping Party

Your Game Plan: Two Weeks Before

Invite guests. E-mail them early. And select a weeknight in mid-December―before calendars get really crazy. 
   

Stock up on wrapping supplies. Make sure you have these essentials:
 

• 6 rolls wrapping paper
• 4 to 6 pairs scissors
• 4 to 6 rolls tape
• 4 spools ribbon
• 2 packages stick-on bows
• 1 package gift tags

To get creative with your gift wrap, and try these Quick Gift-Wrapping Upgrades, you’ll also need to purchase:
 

• Holiday-themed cookie cutters
• Metallic stickers
• 1 pair pinking shears or some other decorative cutter
• Seasonal accents (such as faux holly)
• 1 package colored paper
• Rubber stamps and ink pad
• 1 X-Acto knife

Tip: Think beyond red and green when it comes to wrapping supplies. Nontraditional colors, like yellow, bronze, and blue, can feel unexpectedly festive when paired with the usual suspects. (Now cover your ears, kids: Have a friend fill out tags from “the Big Guy” so his handwriting doesn’t look suspiciously like Dad’s this year.) Good resources for paper are katespaperie.com, paperpresentation.com, and papyrusonline.com.