Placing presents under the Christmas tree requires preparation coupled with careful arrangement patterns, matching color choices, the right combination of wrapping paper, and much more. In other words, just going with the flow will not cut it; randomly arranging presents under the tree may not give you the kind of look you want to see on Christmas morning.
So, what is the best way to arrange Christmas gifts under the tree? There is no universal answer to this; there are many great ideas. So, your idea ultimately depends on what you want to see.
Packing the Presents
Place Awkward Gifts in Packages Before Wrapping Them
If one of the presents is a weird one – something you wouldn’t want anyone else but the recipient to be aware of, place it in an empty box package before wrapping it. The same applies if you have a gift whose shape will readily give it away and ruin the surprise.
Use More Than One Wrapping Paper Style and Color
You could go in the easier direction and use the same paper and ribbons for all the Christmas presents. But then, this could give the whole arrangement a monotonous (boring) look.
So, to make the appearance beautiful and interesting to your family. Choose 2-4 different colors, papers, fabrics, and designs and use them to package your gifts.
You could use one color or design for each family member to get a gift. This would make it easier to tell who each gift belongs to. Then again, you could mix all the colors you have for everyone to introduce some excitement.
Do Not Leave Any Gift Unwrapped
Wrap every gift you intend to place under the tree, from the small gifts to the big gifts, and ensure everything is wrapped. Wrapping all the gifts makes for coherence. More importantly, it helps create an impression that you have more items under the tree. In other words, if you leave any of the presents unwrapped, they wouldn’t look like presents.
Do Not Use Too Many Stocking Stuffers
Instead of filling the stockings with many stocking stuffers, you could wrap some of the stuffers and place them beneath the tree. This will give the impression of having more presents under the tree.
Placing the Presents Under the Christmas Tree
Smaller Presents in Front, Bigger Presents at the Back
Place the less exciting ones in front and the more exciting ones in the back. This way, the exhilaration of opening them will not wane too early. If the kids open the best presents first, there’d probably be nothing else in the pack to excite them, and the enthusiasm will fade quickly.
Besides placing the gifts by their level of anticipation, place the smaller gifts in front of the tree while the larger gifts stay on the sides. This arrangement will create a tiered look that feels just right. More importantly, it ensures that the bigger gifts do not block out the smaller ones and create an impression that there are fewer gifts.
While the sides and front of the tree are filled, leave the back of the tree bare. There’s no point placing presents there since no one would readily see them.
Besides what we’ve described above, ensure you do not leave a wide gap between each present. Having wide gaps between the gift items will dampen the appearance of the arrangement. You could leave a tiny space – something not readily noticeable.
The arrangement pattern we’ve described here is one of the most common ‘rules’ of arranging presents under Christmas trees.
Alternating Pattern
You should avoid placing all or most of the presents belonging to one recipient in the same place. In other words, spread the gifts belonging to each person all around. But if you are willing to go the extra mile, be more orderly and arrange the presents in an alternating pattern.
Stacking
One important rule to follow when placing packages under the tree is to avoid stacking them too high. Prioritize spreading them out within a limited/small space around the tree. Besides keeping your arrangement from looking like a bunch of skyscrapers, spreading them out helps to fill the space.
If you ever have to stack them, try not to stack more than 2 presents on each other. One vital thing to consider when stacking is weight. As expected, you should not stack heavier items on lighter ones; the stacking should be the other way around.
Keep Kids and Pets in Mind
Away from the beautiful display, the presents under your tree can become dangerous if you do not take the necessary precautions. This is especially true if you have kids and pets around the tree. So, to ensure nothing goes wrong, take note of these tips:
- Keep your tree and the presents under it away from open flame and other heat sources. Wrapping paper has a high tendency to catch fire, so placing them close to heat may start a fire.
- Even if you take the necessary fire precautions, if you have kids or pets, there’s a chance that they could drag the presents towards a heat source or do any other dangerous thing. You can prevent this by fencing the tree and gifts with a baby gate.
- If you are trying to avoid a situation where your children get to know the content of the presents before they open it, you could place fake gift boxes under the tree. So, even if they open the gifts before Christmas morning, they will not see the actual presents.
How Many Gifts Should Be Under a Christmas Tree?
A common opinion suggests three presents per recipient to reflect how Baby Jesus got 3 presents from the 3 wise men. But this is not a fixed rule; you get to decide how many packages you have under the tree.
What matters the most is creating the happiest memories with your family. So, you should worry less about whether you have 1 or more presents and pay more attention to having fun with your loved ones.
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