Christmas gift wrapping: 5 tips from a professional
The main thing is to only take what you need when it comes to wrapping paper
After spending endless hours picking up the perfect Christmas gift for your loved ones, don't fall short when it comes to presentation.
Mark Kenna from Obsessions on Howe Street offers his wrapping tips.
1. Find the right scissors
Kenna says he has wrapped over a million presents and first thing is first get yourself a decent pair of scissors.
2. Use the right tape
Next up is the Scotch tape. Kenna recommends double-sided tape.
"Don't want to put tape on the outside, you have all this gorgeous paper and then you have pieces of tape on the outside?" he said. But you can make it work with single-sided tape too.
3. Do the prep work
If you didn't grab double-sided tape, then roll the tape first and set some pieces aside.
Otherwise, take two inches of tape and line them up on the side ready to go.
4. Take just what you need
Believe it or not, Kenna only uses three pieces of tape to wrap up a present. The key is not take more than you need, especially when it comes to the wrapping paper.
"Paper is usually quite wide for the gift you want to wrap," he says, "Place the item on the paper and take it right to the end."
If the width of the box is two inches, leave two inches off at the end. Then at the other end, square off another two inches and cut the rest off. Now start folding ends.
5. Add the finishing touches
It's time to add some sparkle. Kenna recommends adding a ribbon or bow.
"Take metallic ribbon, take two metres off and take the ends and curl it up."
To hear the full interview click ont he audio labelled Wrap your Christmas presents like a pro on the CBC's The Early Edition.