For a thoughtful gift, think outside the box

Gift wrappers tend to fall into one of two categories: Either they buy standard paper and ribbon from a local pharmacy and a bag of those trusty peel-and-stick bows, or they go full Martha Stewart, slaving over a home gift-wrap station stocked with rotary cutters, handmade tags and reindeer stencils.

But for those who want their gifts to look elegant and thoughtful without investing weeks of effort, here are a few practical tricks from the experts:

"To me, the presentation of your gift is as important as the gift itself," said Courtney Cox, who co-owns the design firm and retail store Ivy Lane in Alexandria, Virginia. "I had an aunt who always hit it out of the park. She dabbled in antiques and would tie ornaments or glass knick-knacks to the ribbon, and write directly on the wrapping paper. Each gift, no matter what was inside, felt special."

Cox keeps the accessories simple -- she collects berries, twigs and sprigs of holly while on afternoon walks with her children, ages 3 and 6 -- but gets creative with paper. "This year, I'm using leftover wallpaper," she says. As a designer, she often winds up with extra rolls, but notes that "you don't have to be a decorator to buy cheap wallpaper anymore. Just go to Target or Jo-Ann Fabrics. And if you like that home-spun theme, use curtain trim instead of ribbon."

Adele McDonald, an interior designer with Kelley Interior Design in Bethesda, Maryland, rejects the idea that gift-wrapping has to be complicated and expensive to make an impression. "It just has to be polished and personal," she says. McDonald takes style cues from her mother, an interior designer in Mobile, Alabama, who has been known to tie feathers, magnolia leaves, candy canes or pine sprigs from the back of her tree onto bows.

"They're like toppings for your presents," she says. "People always notice."

Of course, it's best to settle on a theme before hitting the craft store; that way you'll make selections that work well together. And that's why Paper Source, a national craft store famous for its holiday gift wrap, organizes its festive offerings into themes: Glitter and Gold, Winter Woodlands, Classic Red and Green, and even Fa la la Llamas, a selection of colorful papers and tissues covered in llamas.

"We try to compartmentalize looks so you don't get overwhelmed," says Rebecca Burick, Paper Source's head of marketing, who works out of the company's Chicago headquarters.

Recently, Burick says, the company has seen renewed interest in plaid, marble and glitter paper.

It might help to think about gift-wrapping the same way you'd think about decorating a room: After you've picked a color or print to work around, you'll want to vary texture and shine. This year, McDonald is using a rustic paper that looks like wood grain ($3 for a sheet or $8 for a roll at Paper Source) with white and red trappings. When she needs a little glitz, she'll use a shiny, foil-like gold wrap on small boxes.

This story was originally published December 20, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "For a thoughtful gift, think outside the box ."