This Holiday Season

The house is decorated, you’ve got a toddler snapback or beanie for every little bro on your list. You even made it through that school party where you were somehow expected to dress your toddler up as Buddy The Elf.

Now all you have to do is spend twelve hours cutting, taping, wrapping, and ribboning! The essence of Christmas joy, right? 

Wrong. Very wrong. 

Guys - we named our company *Binky Bro,* aka we are not down for stressful Christmases (or stress in general tbh). And though your pre-parent self may have simply thrown everything in a gift bag and stuck it under the tree, by now we all know that’s a great way to ensure Christmas comes early (and not in a good way).

 So we’ve put together 5 parent hacks to simplify gift wrapping and hopefully help you enjoy the busiest month of the year. 

#1: Make An Evening Of It

Wrapping gifts one at a time as they arrive from Amazon.com, I mean--The North Pole, is a sure way to feel like you never stop wrapping. Much like the neverending sinkful of dishes, gift wrapping is more survivable when done in one fell swoop.  

Our hack? Make it a party. 

Grab some wine and chocolate covered JoJo’s, re-watch A Christmas Prince for the twelfth time, and go to town. Bonus: including a husband, sister, or grandma will make it even more fun! 

(Yes, there are three of these. Yes, we have seen them all.)

#2: Ditch The Gift Tags

 Instead, use different wrapping paper for each family member. 

We’ve all been there – your kid’s unwrapping a gift you were sure was for him, but then the box opens and it’s like OH WAIT THAT WAS FOR YOUR SISTER *cue tears.*

Trust us - your mom brain has enough to juggle this December without keeping track of which red and green box belongs to who. This Christmas, give it the gift of ditching gift tags.  

Short on paper? Shop these multi-packs:

Classic Christmas wrapping paper

Gold Neutral Wrapping Paper

Modern colorful wrapping paper

#3: Go Green With Furoshiki Wrapping

Love the planet? Got some spare fabric lying around? We’re big fans of the Japanese wrapping method called Furoshiki.

Why we love it:

  • No need to stock up on scissors and tape (but in case you do)
  • Better for planet earth
  • Harder for toddler hands to unwrap pre-Christmas

At first glance, yes, it looks like you have to be Martha Stewart herself to pull this off, but we’ve found it surprisingly easy to do, especially thanks to these handy tutorials: 

Gift Wrapping with Fabric

Five Ways To Furoshiki

The Folding Lady on TikTok

#4: Upcycle Empty Wrapping Paper Tubes 

Where are all our boy mamas at?! You guys know the empty-wrapping-paper-tube-swordfight is bound to happen, so our official advice is to LEAN IN. 

Hold on to your empty wrapping paper tubes for the moment when (not if) you’re stuck home bored on a snow day.

Will you wonder why you bought Christmas presents when a tube of cardboard provided hours of entertainment? You absolutely will. 

BUT it just might get you through a day of Christmas break, so praise Santa for that. 

#5: Stock Up For Next Year This Year

It’s our personal belief that no Christmas budget should have to include ‘wrapping paper’ as a line item. And while you can always get it for cheap at your local dollar store, the cutest stuff hangs out mostly at Target

So when you’re out making post-Christmas returns or grabbing something for dinner that isn’t candy, swing by the holiday aisle and see what’s for sale. 

Just remember to grab enough prints so you can repeat Hack #2 next year!

Bonus Hack: The Gift That Needs No Wrapping

All hail the gift card! Possibly the only last minute gift you can buy that will still make them squeal with delight. 

Why we love it:

- Requires zero wrapping 

- Guarantees they get what they want

- No shipping time required - send it right to their inbox

Ours come in $25, $50, $100, $150 increments and can be used for anything on the site. 

Yep that means everything from kids’ thermals, to backpacks, to a swimsuit for that spring break vacation that’s coming way sooner than you think. 

Well on that note, we’ve grinched about gift wrapping for long enough. Now we wanna hear – what gift are you most excited to give this year? Tell us in the comments!

- The BinkyBro Family

December 21, 2021 — Matthew Fisler