The Which? tip is perfect for anyone who has ever run out of cellotape mid-wrapping
If you’ve been overwhelmed with a mountain of holiday gifts to wrap, chances are you’ve hit that frustrating moment when the tape runs out. However, the experts at Which? have uncovered a little-known tip – you don’t actually need tape to make your presents look fantastic.
Last year, the UK consumer champion shared a post on Instagram to showcase its clever technique, explaining: “First, measure all four sides of the gift using the paper. Cut the paper to size, leaving just a little bit extra.
“Pull one corner of the paper over the edge of the gift. Score the excess of the paper on both sides of the gift. Then, bring the corners up, which will become the corners of the box.
“At the top of the gift, push the paper up and fold it over. Then tuck the excess paper into the pocket that’s left.” Social media users were buzzing with reactions to this clever trick at the time, though many complained about the hours they had spent taping presents before.
According to the Express, one person wrote: “*Sees this after spending the ENTIRE day wrapping presents*,” as someone else joked: “I seriously don’t have the patience… probably why the wife won’t let me wrap.”
Meanwhile, another later added: “Not seen this before, good idea to save tape.” The handy wrapping tip from Which? could be particularly helpful as Christmas, now a little over a month away, approaches.
Several other experts, including those at GardeningExpress.co.uk, have also shared additional holiday tips, such as ways to extend the lifespan of Christmas trees.
In 2024, its founder Chris Bonnett explained: “Make sure to choose a healthy tree to begin with by carrying out checks, or buy your tree from a trustworthy retailer to guarantee it will be in good condition upon arrival.
“Once you’ve brought the tree home, give the bottom of the tree a cut before placing it in water and choose a spot for it that’s away from any heat sources such as the fireplace or radiators.”
In a completely separate tip, Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert (MSE) also encouraged Brits to swap out their traditional Christmas lights for LED bulbs.
In its MSE newsletter, its specialists previously wrote: “If you’ve got LED lights, it costs (a lot) less than 1p every hour (in fact it’s about 1p every 12 hours) per 100 bulbs you have.
“If you’ve got incandescent lights, it costs 1p every hour (so 12p every 12 hours) per 100 bulbs you have. So if you run a 100-bulb string of LED lights (which uses three watts of energy) for six hours a day for a month it’ll cost roughly 15p.”
