The Best Way to Wrap Oddly Shaped Gifts, According to TikTok

Every December I suffer flashbacks to my first-ever retail job, wrapping presents at a gift shop. As much as I enjoyed entering autopilot and mechanically wrapping box after box, it was always a fun challenge to tackle an oddly-shaped gift: A loose teddy bear. A stray shovel. An entire island of misfit toys that refuse to conform to the rules of gift-wrapping basics. You know, the usual. (When your job is wrapping stuff, you make your own fun.) I get that not everyone loves these holiday brainteasers, so when it comes to gift-wrapping this season, get ready to reject tradition and embrace ingenuity.

No matter your experience level, I highly recommend browsing #giftwrappinghacks on TikTok for plenty of how-to videos that can make gifting easier this year, whether you need to tackle a particularly challenging gift shape or simply need a refresher on using scissors like a grown-up. Below is a step-by-step example of just one of the many inventive techniques you can use to wrap gifts like a genius.

Steps to wrap an oddly shaped gift

The steps below come from the above TikTok from @lindsayroggenbuck, who walks us through the wrapping of a fairly adorable plush moose. In true TikTok fashion, the instructions move at a rapid pace, so I’ve transcribed them below (adding a bit of my own editorializing as a former pro).

1. Cut the amount of wrapping paper you’ll need. Estimate that amount by loosely wrapping the paper around the gift. It should come up a little more than halfway on the sides and wrap all the way around with an inch overlap.
2. Set the gift aside. Fold the paper into thirds, folding the two outer thirds into the centre-third (overlapping a bit in the middle). The shiny, decorative side of the paper should be exposed. Tape it down.
3. Fold up the bottom of the wrapping paper about a fourth of the way up. Take that little rectangle you’ve created, separate the two pieces from the middle, and fold down. Flatten out the corners to create a diamond (anyone who has ever made an origami crane will know what to do).
4. From this diamond, fold the top and bottom corners in toward each other. Tape them into place in what should look like an elongated hexagon.
5. This sturdy hexagon is now the base of a tube of sorts that you can send your gift down.
6. Once you have your item inside the tube, fold the open top (opposite your hexagonal base) over to the back and tape it down.
7. For extra flair, use a hole puncher to punch two holes for a ribbon to go through. Tie a neat little bow and you’re done! The final result should look like a nifty DIY bag.

Extra tips

Before you go, keep in mind these additional simple tips to wrap gifts:

• Use double stick tape for secure, flat edges. Don’t skip on the tape, longer pieces will make it easier to stick the paper together.
• Match the seams of the paper with the edges of the gift. Create creases at the corner seams to make folding them down easier.
• If your flap on the side is too long, mark where the corners of the paper meet so you know how far to fold the excess paper under.

Or, as many a TikTok user has pointed out, you can always just shove your gift in a gift bag and cover it with some tissue paper. TBH, that’s the spirit I’m bringing to this holiday season, but maybe not all of you have completely given up hope.