Looking for an eco friendly Christmas wrapping paper this year? Making your own wrapping paper is a great way to get creative this festive season and have an environmentally friendly Christmas.

Read our latest blog for four great ways to create your own eco friendly Christmas wrapping paper! Sometimes the best Christmas wrapping paper is one you make your own. 

1. How to Make Wrapping Paper Using Stamps

Beautiful Christmas wrapping paper need not be expensive or harmful to the environment!  

Here is a classic way to create your own. All you need is brown paper, sponges, cookie cutters, and even the humble potato. 

This is a wonderful child friendly way to prepare for Christmas. Simply take some plain brown paper and let them go wild with environmentally friendly Christmas pens or paint.  

Give them free rein or make stamps out of things you can find around the house. Dipping a cookie cutter in paint works well or you can cut a potato in half and carve out a shape to dip into paint. 

It’s helpful to keep the designs simple. Anything too complicated may end up as a giant avantgarde blob. Perfect, if that’s the look you’re going for. If not, a simple star or a tree works well. 

2. How to Make Recyclable Christmas Wrapping Paper 

You can look beyond the usual printed wrapping paper to share presents with some festive cheer. Any paper can be repurposed to wrap gifts. 

Old maps or atlases can be a great find at charity shops. Their generous size can be put to good use as wrapping paper! 

Get creative with magazines and newspapers that would otherwise go in the recycling bin too.  

There is an opportunity to make it more personal by choosing pages based on the recipients’ interests. For instance, use the sports section for a football-mad nephew or a recipe page for your sister who loves to cook.?? 

Finish it off with ribbon or other decorations you find around the house. 

You can also reuse paper gift and shopping bags and give them a facelift using leftover Christmas cards. They make great gift tags!?? 

Decorating for Christmas in Uganda 

If you love making wrapping paper, you’re not alone! Ten-year-old Elia loves making decorations for his home in Uganda. Last year, he was delighted to receive his Christmas gift of new clothes from his Compassion sponsor.? 

"We celebrate Christmas by decorating our home and having fun. We decorate using nice flowers, balloons, and we can cut papers to make decorations. On Christmas, we receive gifts from our sponsors."? 

3. How to Use Brown Paper as Eco Wrapping Paper

Rustic Christmas wrapping paper is simple enough to achieve. Brown paper or tissue paper, some twine, and access to nature will be all you need! 

Simply head out to your garden, nearest park or common, and gather an array of suitably small twigs and leaves. 

Wrap your presents in paper, tie the twine around its centre, then use what you’ve gathered as a simple yet beautiful addition. 

4. How to Use Fabric as a Wrapping Paper Alternative 

Don’t use wrapping paper at all this Christmas! If you have fabric off cuts, why not use that as an eco gift wrap? 

If you want to try something different with fabric wrapping this Christmas, you could also try your hand at Furoshiki.  

Furoshiki is the Japanese art of wrapping gifts in fabric. It refers to both the fabric as well as the craft of wrapping items in it.   

It is one great way to use plastic free wrapping paper. It can be quite beautiful too! 

Furoshiki tips: 

1. Make sure your cloth is square
2. Use a reversible pattern
3. Feel free to add creative accessories
4. The fabric must be thick enough to hold the weight of the gift

The reason for decorations in Brazil  

For Marcos, a Compassion sponsored child who lives in Brazil, Jesus is the reason for the festive wrapping paper and decorations. 

In the humble clay house where Marcos lives with his parents and his three siblings, there are only two bedrooms. The bathroom is in the backyard. 

“I don’t know if Jesus would like to stay with us because our house is very simple,” says Silvana, Marcos’ mother. 

“But I know He always walked with people like us so He wouldn’t care. He will always be welcome in our home. That’s why even having not much, I’m happy to be able to decorate our home at Christmas.” 

With some help from friends, Marcos’ family was able to get decorations to put up in their home. It was a task the whole family enjoyed doing. 

“I like to see everything coloured for Christmas,” says Marcos.  

“I always saw many houses covered in ornaments for Christmas in the city. My parents never had much money to buy ornaments, but I’m so happy to see our house like this. I hope Jesus likes it too. 

“I like Christmas because we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Saviour. I really enjoy receiving gifts, but if I receive any I know that it was Him who gave them to me. In the project I learned that Jesus is my greatest gift and that He always keeps the promises He makes.” 

You can support our Christmas Appeal and help give children like Marcos and Elia a wonderful Christmas.  

Donate to Compassion's Christmas appeal

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