I really dislike wrapping paper. I don’t mind getting stuff wrapped in it, of course, but I hate using it. I hate the obnoxiously expensive recycled stuff even more. So I have discovered a cheap (free) alternative re-using recycled grocery bags.

Sure, I’m not the first one to do this, but it’s still fun. Especially since these bags are holiday themed and have handles. The handles are what really sold me on the idea. I like handles.

Let’s go step-by-stepish.

First, get yourself a holiday bag with handles. No reason to buy one, of course. Just go to your local grocery store and buy the groceries you’d normally buy. One of the stores that I go to uses recycled bags. I’m re-using recycled! I care about the environment more than you ever will. Woo! (barf)… Anyway, for this example, I’ll be using a large-ish and noticeably blurry gift. You can do pretty much any size.

These particular bags have words on one of the sides. You don’t want that as it looks like crap. So I cut them out while also cutting out the bottom of the bag. It left me with a large sheet of wrapping paper AND a handle. As for the other handle, I carefully removed it. You’ll soon see why.

Now I start to wrap it like a normal present. But instead of tape, which I don’t much like, I’m using hot glue. I like hot glue and have the blisters to prove it. Hot glue is probably toxic and not good for the environment. I guess I’m not green, but you won’t notice because the bags are recycled. So be careful with the hot glue. You might burn yourself or decrease your social status with the NPR crowd. I folded the “bottom” of the present like one would normally fold the bottom of a present, hot gluing it as well.

You’ll notice the second handle has been hot glued onto the present. For some of mine, like wrapped books, I used only one handle. But for this, since it was bigger, I glued the second handle onto it. This is your chance to use your freewill. Have at it!

Now for the top. With a normal present, you’d fold the top like the bottom. But because of the handles, that’s not possible. So I took an extra piece of bag, cut it down and made another “top” and glued it in place.

Presto! Hot glue dries quickly and suddenly we’re finished! Hi-Keeba!!

Here are the presents that I did this way this year. Naturally, all of them are for Tom Servo.

Just see all the fun things you can do with enough paper bags! Sure, you should use canvass bags (and make a show of it so that everybody in line behind you will know that you’re “green”). But when you need some free recycled paper bags, have at it!

Huzzah!