It’s finally November which means—welcome to the official holiday season, everyone! If you’re as excited as we are, you’ve probably already started to plan a thing or two for the upcoming holidays. (The early bird gets the worm, right?) Our gears are already turning about how to make the holidays fun and festive this year, from decking the halls to holiday shopping and everything in between. But if there’s one thing we are especially excited about today, it has to be the release of an essential part of our GM holiday—brand new gift wrap! We love any excuse to bring a little bit of beach into the cooler months, and this new GM gift wrap is the perfect way to make your holiday bright. (And don’t worry, if you’d rather deck your gifts with a dreamy snowy scene, we’ve got something up our sleeves for that too…) We can’t wait to introduce you to our very latest, the Apres Ski Gift Wrap Packand the Apres Beach Gift Wrap Pack! Because gift wrapping isn’t everyone’s forte (we get it, we really do), we thought we’d share a few tips and tricks to make your wrapping a little bit easier, and your gifts prettier than ever. Keep reading for five gift wrapping tricks that will change your life this season…

1. THE SOLO BOW TIE

You know when you’re tying that finishing ribbon on your gift, and you’re constantly having to ask someone to put their finger on the knot so you can tie a bow? And if there’s no one around to help…good luck! With this trick, there’s no help needed. Start by placing the center of your ribbon or twine on the TOP of your gift. Loop underneath the bottom of the gift, and bring your ribbon back up the opposite sides of your box. Finally, instead of tying your knot on top of the center ribbon, loop it tightly underneath the center to create a natural assistant to tying the perfect bow. Not only does it make it easier to tie, but once the bow is pulled tight, your ribbon will be secured in the center of the gift instead of sliding around under your bow_. Voila!_

2. THE TAPE: MAKE IT SHINE OR MAKE IT SEAMLESS

Tape can be a hassle, and let’s be honest, most of the time tape is not the prettiest addition to your perfectly wrapped gift. Luckily, there are a couple of alternatives that can make your tape an asset instead of an eyesore. One trick we love is using washi tape instead of traditional Scotch tape. Washi tape comes in a variety of patterns and colors, and can add the perfect festive touch to your gift wrap. Or, if you’d rather take the incognito route, try using double-sided tape to truly keep those long pieces of tape out of sight.

3. USE THE RIGHT TOOLS

When most people approach wrapping their gifts, they only think of using the basic tools, like scissors and tape. But, there are actually a lot of useful tools out there that can make your gift wrapping endeavor much easier. If you have a hard time keeping those cuts perfectly straight with simple scissors, try using a T-square and rotary cutter instead. It allows you to cut perfectly straight lines across large pieces of paper—no more jagged edges!

4. DON’T GO OVERBOARD

Try not to overestimate how much paper you’ll need when wrapping a particular gift. Make sure before you cut to wrap the paper loosely around your gift, and cut off any excess where necessary. The paper should only overlap 1-2 inches when folding, otherwise layers and layers of your paper will make your folds and finished product look sloppy and bulky. Keep it sleek and trim, and don’t be afraid to make some scraps when cutting off excess paper—we have a use for those too…

5. RECYCLE IN STYLE

Like we mentioned above, one gift’s trash is another gift’s treasure. Sometimes you must cut off excess paper, other times you have those pesky pieces left over that are too big to justify throwing out, but too small to wrap any of your remaining gifts in. Frustrating, right? Instead of throwing your scrap paper away, put it through a shredder to create neat and decorative packing material for other fragile gifts or gift bags. That way you won’t need to buy as much unnecessary tissue paper, and you’ll create some stylish and eco-friendly gift padding. It’s a win-win! There you have it, folks. These gift wrapping tricks are saving us this holiday season, and we hope you put them to work too. We wish you a happy season of holiday prepping and celebrating, and don’t forget to pick up your own holiday gift-wrap here to add just the right GM touch to your holidays! Xx Team GM To shop all Gray Malin Gift Wrap, click here.

Photos: Jessi Burrone for GrayMalin.com