“The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than its value.” -Charles Dudley Warner

You have found the perfect gift, completely appropriate for the recipient. But now you have realized that this gift also turns out to be an impossible gift to wrap.

Maybe the gift is oddly shaped and won’t fit in a box. Perhaps the gift is digital and not in physical form. Or maybe the gift is too big to fit through the door. Here are ideas on how you can easily “wrap” even the most impossible gift.

odd shaped gifts

Some gifts were never meant to be wrapped. Try one of these ideas to properly cover that oddly shaped gift.

– Gift bags are a popular way to wrap a present in an odd way. Simply place the gift in the bag and cover with brightly colored tissue paper.

– Lay a large sheet of wrapping paper on the floor, design side down. Place the gift in the middle and pull all four corners of the paper up and to the center. Close the top by tying the corners with a festive ribbon.

Gifts without a physical form

Our modern computing age has brought a whole new challenge to gift wrapping, gifts such as e-books, downloaded software or downloaded music. These ideas will turn your digital gift into something that can still go under the tree.

– Burn the digital gift files to a CD. Alternatively, buy a USB stick or memory card and copy the digital files to the memory stick.

– Print the digital gift download instructions. Then buy (or make) a Christmas card and include the printed instructions inside the card.

Gifts too big to fit under a tree

For large gifts you will need to find a “safe” hiding place. Some merchants may allow you to store the gift in their store until just before Christmas. Alternatively, perhaps your garage or a storage shed can serve as a good hiding place. You might even consider using a neighbor’s garage (and getting your neighbor’s permission first is probably a good idea!).

With the gift in a safe place, you can still “wrap” the gift and put it under the tree with one of these ideas.

– Use a Christmas card (or make one by hand or using your computer) and announce the gift inside the card.

– Wrap a small object to represent the gift and put it under the tree. Try to choose an item that hints at what the present is without immediately giving away the secret. For example, you can use a bicycle tire pump to represent a new bike, a car owner’s manual to represent a new car (I think most of us won’t give such a large gift), or a house key to represent a new house (this requires some possession of considerable wealth).

So don’t let the impossibility of wrapping a gift prevent you from choosing the most appropriate gift for your loved one. Use one of these fun gift “wrapping” and “under the tree” ideas.