'Tis a gift to be simple

You've finally found all of your gifts and now it's time to get to wrapping. Thinking of ways to spice up your gifts this holiday season? Well look no further because here at SCO, our experts have come up with ways to make your presents appear extra special. Presentation is key during the holidays, and from ribbons to wrapping paper, these simple ideas will make the gifts you give stand out from the rest.

Stage One: Wonderful wrapping

Whether you are stressed for time or your wallet now lays empty from dropping cash on family and friends' presents, do not feel pressured to buy special wrapping paper to make your gift appear more extravagant. In fact, the most affordable, not to mention eco-friendly way to wrap your gifts is by using newspaper, specifically the comic section. This way, not only are you giving a superb gift, but you are also leaving your loved ones with a little humor.

If you're looking for some color, magazines will give you that extra spark. Take some neutral colored wrapping paper and wrap it around the gift item of your choice. Then, cut out pages from a magazine. By picking out fun pictures and quotes personal to you gift recipient, you can create a thoughtful collage with which you can wrap your gift. The recipient of your gift will be left looking over both the wrapping paper and gift with equal admiration.

Or, if you're artistically inclined, try wrapping your gifts in plain white printer paper and then decorating it from there. This is definitely a cheaper and more creative way for those of us who are a bit short-changed this year.

Stage Two: Dealing with difficulty

We can all pretty much agree that wrapping gifts can get quite infuriating when the present is awkwardly shaped or bulky - these items just don't want to be covered in paper. There are a few ways to deal with this annoying issue, but one of the best is simple and obvious. Take the large gift, stick it in a box and wrap the box instead! You can use any kind, especially if you've got some old shoeboxes lying around. With a bit of luck, doing this is a better alternative than wasting time (and wrapping paper) trying to figure out how to cover that basketball without ripping your paper repeatedly.

Planning on giving a smaller gift or maybe some clothing items? Here's a way to add a little sparkle to the gifts without going completely overboard. Tissue paper is essential throughout the holidays and can be found at almost any store with stationary, not to mention that it comes in a rainbow assortment of hues. Take some fun colors, layer the tissue paper and place your gift inside. Sprinkle some glitter or spray a little perfume - whichever you fancy - and tie the gift together with some colorful ribbons. You can even play with the ribbons by taking a pair of scissors to curl the ends, making the overall presentation even more pleasing to the eye.

Stage Three: Finishing touches

If you're talented and think you're up to the challenge, try gluing some origami to your bows/ribbons or replacing the bows with origami stars. Origami can be a painstaking art, but in the end, it definitely pays off. Your loved ones will be astonished with your flair, and our SCO experts promise you'll earn some brownie points from your family that won't soon be forgotten. Learn to make an origami eight-pointed star or Christmas tree here.

If origami doesn't work out for you, there's always an easier alternative. Go out to a craft store like Michael's and pick up decorative ribbons. There are tons of ways to make the ribbons stand out, such as tying a layered or floral bow instead of a basic bow.

You can also use those extra magazine scraps left over from stage one's magazine wrapping paper to create recycled paper flowers. To make these artsy flowers, there are only seven steps you'll have to follow. Granted, this is a little time consuming, so make you set aside an hour or so to work on these. Check out the detailed step-by-step directions here. Depending on the color of the magazine scraps, the flowers look amazing on both plain wrapped gifts or newspaper wrapped gifts.

And don't forget to have a little fun wrapping your gifts this year! Also, remember that presentation is an important component of gift giving. These (mostly) effortless and easy ways to add a little flavor to your holiday gifts should make your loved ones anxious to tear into your wrapped masterpiece.