If you want to wrap a gift creatively this Christmas, for Three Kings’ Day or for Secret Santa, borrow a Dutch tradition: the St Nicholas (Sinterklaas) “surprise”. In a surprise, the present isn’t wrapped but disguised: it’s hidden inside a handmade craft that says something about the person receiving it, and it comes with a short poem. With some recycled cardboard and a couple of afternoons, anyone can do it.
Wrapping a gift creatively: start with the person receiving it
The best idea doesn’t come from a list, but from what you know about that person. Ask yourself a few questions:
- What’s their big passion?
- What has happened to them this year: a move, a new job, a trip, a funny story?
- What do people usually tease them about, always affectionately?
Then choose a shape that ties in with that and that the present will fit inside. A joke is fine, but nothing hurtful: the person receiving it has to be able to laugh too.
How to disguise a present, step by step
- Sketch out the idea. Make a rough drawing and decide on the size. Bear in mind the measurements of the present.
- Gather your materials. With shoeboxes, toilet roll tubes, egg boxes, newspapers, sticky tape, PVA glue, paint and a hot glue gun, you’ve got almost everything you need.
- Build the base shape. Join boxes and tubes together, or use an inflated balloon for round shapes.
- Cover it in papier-mâché. Tear the newspaper into strips, dip them in PVA glue diluted with water and stick them on layer by layer. Let each layer dry thoroughly and allow a few days for the whole thing.
- Paint and decorate. Start with a light-coloured base coat so the newsprint doesn’t show through, then add the details.
- Hide the present. Make sure it can be taken out easily, for example through a trapdoor or a lid, or turn it into a treasure hunt.
- Add a short poem. Stick the verses on the outside or hide them as the first clue.
Ideas that always work
- For someone sporty: a giant trainer made from a shoebox, with string for laces.
- For coffee lovers: a huge cardboard mug or coffee pot.
- For gamers: an oversized controller or console.
- For someone who works from home: a laptop made from a pizza box, with a keyboard made of bottle tops.
- For someone who has just moved house: a little house made of boxes, with the present behind the door.
- For animal lovers: their dog or cat made out of cardboard, or a kennel with the present inside.
- For food lovers: a pizza, a cake or a burger made from cardboard, felt and foam.
Short on time? Quick ideas
If you only have one afternoon, go for something simple that’s just as surprising:
- put the present in a box inside another box inside another, each with a little rhyme;
- set up a treasure hunt around the house, with notes that lead to the present;
- hide it in a reused container, such as an empty cocoa tin or a crisps tube;
- wrap it in a scarf or a piece of fabric knotted in the Japanese furoshiki style, which can be reused, too.
A short poem or a clue
- Write four-line verses that rhyme in pairs. If you get stuck, an online rhyming dictionary helps.
- Include a moment from the year that they’ll recognise.
- Finish with a clue about the present, without giving it away.
- Read the verses aloud before you stick them on or hide them. Rewrite anything that sounds forced.
Safe crafts if you have pets
If you have a dog or a cat, put away the glue, paint, string and small pieces when you’ve finished, and don’t leave the craft to dry on the floor. Keep chocolates and chocolate nougat out of their reach: chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats.
Looking for something to hide inside? Take a look at our collection of products for the home and for pets. Start in good time and, on the day the presents are opened, you’ll have something nobody will forget.