Why Do People Wrap Gifts?

Gift-wrapping has a history almost as colorful as gift-giving itself.

Wrapping presents is a tradition rooted in history, and has survived to become part of every major western gift-giving celebration. From birthdays to Chanukah to Easter gifts, people wrap presents to add an element of mystery and surprise to their presents. The gift-wrap that we have today has come down a long road of reinventions, from humble butcher paper to the ornate, crisp paper available in stores today.

History of Holiday Giving

Holiday giving can trace its origins to centuries ago. Christmas giving originated in the story of the three wise men, or kings, who brought presents to the Christ child in the stable after his birth. From this, giving presents over the holidays has been a staple of religious traditions. Holiday giving also has roots in simple human psychology. Often, it is the gift-giver who receives the greatest reward in seeing a person made happy by a present. Thus giving gifts is an intrinsically motivating reward.

History of Gift Wrap

Holiday gift-wrap is rooted in the tradition of storekeepers who wrapped packages in thick brown paper and tied them with coarse string before the days of shopping bags. Giving packages that were wrapped originated from the gifts coming wrapped from the store. As the tradition of wrapping caught on, the thick paper was replaced with decorative wallpaper, which many people found tedious because of its tendency to crack when folded. Colorful tissue paper was the next solution to giving pretty, wrapped gifts.

From Tissue Paper to Wrapping Paper

The evolution of modern wrapping paper can be traced to the Hallmark company. When a shortage of tissue paper led to the quick thinking of selling colorful envelope lining papers as wrapping, tissue paper quickly fell out of favor. The envelope wrappings were bright and did not tear as easily as tissue paper. The following holiday season, the store began selling the papers for twenty-five cents for three sheets, instead of the standard ten cents for one sheet. The gift-wrap that store patrons are familiar with today evolved from these envelope liners.

The Element of Surprise

Wrapping presents has remained popular because of its ability to initiate the element of surprise in giving. Wrapping can conceal an object's shape, what's printed on the box, or any other clues that would take away the joy of anticipation in waiting to find out what a present is. Some people go to great lengths to ensure that a gift cannot be discovered, for example, wrapping small pieces of jewelry in much larger boxes. Wrapping for surprise is especially prevalent during the holidays and at parties when opening the present with a flourish is part of the tradition of gift-giving that would be ruined by having gifts set out without a package covering.

Presentation is Everything

Wrapping presents also has an aesthetic purpose. With the spread of popularity in gift-wrapping came a boom in available gift-wrapping products. Shoppers can now purchase gift bags, cartoon character decorated paper, paper suited to different occasions, giant bows and anything else available on the market. The invention of "Scotch" tape added to the ability to make a present pretty, as former tools for wrapping included ceiling wax and string. Today, there are entire businesses dedicated to wrapping presents in an admirable way, thus continuously raising the standard for flourished gift giving, and ensuring the tradition carries on.

References

• "NY Times"; A Gift that Gives Right Back? The Giving Itself; Tara Parker-Pope; 2007.
• Props: A Brief History of Gift Wrap
• My Merry Christmas: A History of Gift Wrap