Manila, Philippines-the holiday is officially here-and with it, a lot of gift giving (and preparation of gifts) is about to begin!

Although many of us can take the traditional holiday-themed wrapping paper route, others are looking for more creative and sustainable alternatives. After all, many of these gift packaging materials are not recyclable, and some of them are coated with plastic or covered with glitter. (Read: Dreaming of a green Christmas? Here are 5 ways to make it more sustainable) 

Therefore, whether you want to reduce waste or just tired of the same universal holiday design, we have listed several alternatives to ordinary wrapping paper that can help you improve your gift wrapping game this year:

Furoshiki is a traditional fabric wrapping method that originated in Japan. 

Using a piece of beautifully printed cloth, just place the gift in the center of the fabric, fold the fabric, and then tie them all with a few clever knots to wrap the gift! In just a few seconds, you can create an eye-catching package without using tape or scissors! 

For sustainable options, you can even use fabrics you already have—old shirts, pillowcases, tablecloths or handkerchiefs—as your own wrap. Another reason that makes it a better choice is that the gift recipient can always reuse these fabrics. Think of them as gifts among gifts! 

Or, you can buy a brand new hand-woven scarf or bedding and use it as part of wrapping paper and gifts!

If you really like to wrap gifts in paper, look at what you have at home. It is common for every family to have old documents and files, such as calendars, maps, school books and newspapers.

Don't throw them away, but recycle them as an alternative gift wrapping paper, you can customize it with your own design. 

Compared with traditional holiday-themed wrapping paper designs, these old, recyclable files also exude a beautiful retro aesthetic that we can show on social media!

If you choose decorative wrapping paper, Manila paper or those brown paper takeaway bags are the perfect canvas. 

If you want to add some characters to your wrapping paper, you can choose to search for the puzzle using the words in the comic section or the big table! You can also use the old map as a wrapper! To customize, you can use washi tape instead of plastic tape, and spare the fabric as a ribbon! 

You can also choose not to use wrapping paper at all, and put your gift in another form of packaging-such as bags, baskets, boxes or jars and other reusable containers!

Their function is to hide the gift and give the recipient a sense of expectation. In addition, the container can be reused in different ways. They are also easy to customize, so your gift doesn't have to look simple or boring. 

You can DIY beautiful gift bags from the materials around the house, but even drawstring bags purchased from a local junk station can do this! 

Baskets are also a great way to wrap gifts! Bonus points? They also become part of the actual gift because the recipient can reuse it as a container for home decoration or items. Since they are woven from natural materials such as bamboo and rattan, we are sure that they are environmentally friendly! After putting the gifts in the basket, you only need to cover all the items with spare cloth to hide them. 

Several Instagram stores such as Magayon Handmade and Vinta.phl offer a variety of baskets for you to choose from. We are pretty sure that you can choose the design and size of any gift that suits you. 

Don't underestimate the power of an inconspicuous box. Since most of us have done a lot of online shopping in the past few months, it is very likely that a bunch of boxes have been stored somewhere in the house. Reuse and customize them to store gifts. 

You can also make your own box! A quick search on YouTube will provide you with several video tutorials on how to create your own box. Or, if you want to work harder, you can also choose to have someone make a box for you. Visual Edge and Cr8tive Boxes + Labels accept customized orders for packaged products, so you can provide them with your own container design and other requirements. 

Don't be the face of Mother Nature! There are many ways to make your gift beautiful and presentable without causing waste! – Rappler.com 

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