Crafter shares 'brilliant' present-wrapping hack to make holiday gifting a breeze: 'Such a cute idea'

Year-end celebrations are approaching once again. But while the typical time spent with loved ones is a joy for many, it also spurs a shopping frenzy that no other holiday season matches. 

Luckily, one Redditor showed that offering gifts was not solely about consuming — reusing is possible, starting with wrapping paper.

"I found a box full of scarves and shawls from my grandma … I wasn't going to wear them all nor give them away because of the sentimental value so I started using them as wrapping paper for gifts," the poster explained.

Sharing pictures of their favorite work, the Reddit user said they would "knot the scarf and lock everything with a nice brooch."

And people on r/Anticonsumption, a group critic of consumer culture, did nothing but praise the hack.

"One of my good friends does this every Christmas!" one Redditor said. "It looks so beautiful, and I'm planning to try it this year."

"Whyyyy did I never think to use brooches on mine?!? Brilliant!!!" another commented.

"This is such a cute idea!" a third user wrote.

In this case, since the Redditor takes the scarves and brooches back after the recipient opens their gifts, they are also saving money by being able to reuse the wrapping year after year. 

🗣️ Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics?

🔘 Giving me money back 💰

🔘 Letting me trade for new stuff 👕

🔘 Making it as easy as possible ⚡

🔘 Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️

🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind

The discussion led Reddit users to compare the technique to Furoshiki, the Japanese art of using a square of fabric as wrapping. The best part? It's zero waste.

And this isn't the only solution out there. Ideas for reusable wrapping paper like sheet music or old calendars are spreading, as the recycling process can be tedious for paper that features glitter, foil, or lamination — or, in other words, paper that contains plastic.

The U.S. produces some 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper every year, 2.3 million pounds of which go to landfills, according to Reader's Digest. This hack can reduce that number while keeping money in your pocket. 

The post finally encouraged Redditors to share their own stories.

One of them said: "We have a family tradition of wrapping up gifts in clothes, the sillier the better."

"For all gifts we give within our family, we have a box of favorite old scarves, fake pashminas, and Lush knot-wraps. Seeing the design on a gift again is like seeing an old friend," another concluded.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.