Funny Ways to Wrap a Gift: The Big List

So, you’ve found the perfect Christmas gift. What now? You could wrap it up with the usual holiday themed wrapping paper, put a bow on it, and call it done. Or you could come up with a way to wrap it that’s clever, creative, maybe even downright hilarious.

Let’s do something hilarious.

Fortunately, there are lots of funny ways to wrap a gift, many of which are easy to do and cost little or nothing extra. I’ve rounded up some of the best funny gift wrapping ideas for Christmas gifts of all shapes and sizes, with additional tips for White Elephant gifts and gift cards.

Funny Gift Wrapping Ideas

Here are some ideas you can use for just about any gift. That said, you might find that funny gift wrapping doesn’t work quite as well for gag gifts, as it telegraphs that there’s something goofy inside. Surprising the gift’s recipient with what’s under all that wrapping paper is part of the magic of Christmas.

Buy or make some wacky wrapping paper. Let’s start with the obvious. If you have the time and budget, you can order all kinds of novelty wrapping paper on the internet. Otherwise, you can print out your own wrapping paper, or use pages from a newspaper or something similar.

Fake them out with the box. The idea here is to wrap the present normally, but use a box that’s radically different from what’s inside. You can find novelty gift boxes online or just reuse a box you have lying around. The box could be for something ordinary but tacky, like adult diapers or feminine products.

Overdo it. Make the present really difficult to get into by using extra layers of wrapping paper, lots of heavy duty tape, aluminum foil, etc. This is ideal for gift exchange parties, where everyone can enjoy watching the recipient struggle to open the present.

Make it obvious. If the gift has an easily recognizable shape (a football, for example), remove it from its packaging and wrap it tightly. Otherwise, you could cover the present in plastic wrap or just leave part of it unconcealed.

Do a shoddy job. Here you’re going out of your way to make the wrapping paper look as ugly as possible. This could mean using crumpled paper, paper with stains on it, mismatched colors – anything that makes the job look like it was done by an overactive toddler.

Include a silly message. This could be a joke or pun written on the gift tag or the wrapping paper itself. Use your imagination, or find some Christmas humor online.

Turn it into a game. Finally, there are various ways you can make unwrapping the gift into a full-fledged activity. For example, a normal-looking present could be empty except for a clue that sends the recipient on a quest to find the real gift. Since you’re doing this for laughs, make the clues themselves funny, or give them so many of them that the hunt becomes a wild goose chase.

White Elephant Gifts

In addition to the above options, there are a few additional possibilities for a White Elephant gift. These ideas are all inspired by the theme and rules of the game.

Make a nice gift look unattractive. To play into the gift selection part of the game, make the present look like something no one would ever want (see above for ideas). The surprise is that the item inside is actually something that virtually everyone would want.

Make a gag gift look swanky. Just the opposite of the above. Make your gift look picture perfect, with classy wrapping paper, beautiful ribbons, the whole nine yards. The recipient will be surprised when the “posh” gift they selected turns out to be something silly.

Take the elephant theme literally. Okay, this is more cute/clever than funny. The idea is simply to find or make some wrapping paper with elephants on it. You could also adorn your gift with some sort of elephant sticker or decoration.

Gift Cards

Gift cards are always popular at Christmastime, but they can also seem impersonal and boring. However, that won’t be the case if you make use of one of these funny ways to wrap a gift card.

Include it with a novelty greeting card. This might be a little too obvious for some, but it’s a great option if you’re short on time. There are lots of funny greeting cards that are designed to hold gift cards, some of them featuring games the recipient has to play in order to “cash out.” If you’re creative and crafty, you could even make your own card.

Put it in a full-sized box. This works for any small gift. Just place the item in a large box so the recipient doesn’t know what they’re getting. Use the “fake out” idea above for extra laughs.

Hide it in food. Bury the gift card in a container with popcorn, candy, or some other goodie so the recipient has to work (or eat) to get it. Ideally, the gift card is hidden well enough that the recipient thinks the food is the only gift, but not hidden so well that they never spot it. Bonus points if the food itself is funny.

Well, it’s about time to wrap this up. I hope these funny gift wrapping ideas have helped you out. Good luck with your gift wrapping – and Merry Christmas!