As December 25 arrives, many households will find themselves wading through scraps of wrapping paper as presents are unwrapped on Christmas Day.
In years gone by, you probably just piled the used wrapping paper up and threw it in your bin but retailer Next has shared some ways you can repurpose your old wrapping paper to minimise waste.
Here are six ways you can reuse your wrapping paper rather than throwing it away this Christmas.
6 ways to reuse Christmas wrapping paper this year
Protect fragile ornaments
With many of us decorating for Christmas, you might find you’ve got some fragile ornaments or baubles to pack away for next year.
Saving torn or shredded wrapping paper can help you protect your ornaments and decorations.
You can also use gift wrap to line storage boxes that are used to transfer Christmas decorations to and from your attic each year.
Make small gift cards and tags
You could also repurpose your used wrapping paper to make Christmas tags for next year.
One way you can do this is by cutting out rectangles big enough to write a message on for those receiving the gift.
Then, punch two holes in it and feed some ribbon or string through to attach to a gift.
Wrap school books
Backing school books might be a childhood memory that some of us remember and parents could give it a go with their kids now.
While it makes a plain book look a little more exciting, it can also prevent the deterioration of the books over time.
Make DIY ornaments
Next suggests another festive activity to keep the kids entertained.
Whether you have spare or leftover wrapping paper, you could cut it into shreds and use it to decorate a clear, fillable Christmas bauble.
Make your own party decorations
Whether you’re planning on keeping the festive celebrations alive after Christmas or you’re celebrating a festive birthday, why not make some bunting to decorate the room?
You’ll need some empty cereal boxes which you’ll cut a big triangle from and keep repeating until you have enough for a string of bunting.
Cut slightly bigger triangles out of your leftover wrapping paper that fits around the cardboard and secure it with tape.
Grab your leftover ribbon or string and use it to stick down your bunting triangles.
Use intact Christmas paper next year
Any wrapping paper that remains intact could be stored away for next year.
If you can take your time unwrapping your gift, you can usually save the sheet of paper in good condition.
Smaller pieces could also come in handy for the stocking filler gifts or smaller presents you might buy next Christmas.
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