Have you ever wondered why we wrap our gifts?

Read all about how gift wrapping came about.

Have you ever sat back after you’ve beautifully wrapped the perfectly gift you selected and wondered why we actually do this? Where did this tradition come from and why?

Well we did some digging and we thought you’d be interested to know that the tradition of gift wrapping isn’t a recent one. It actually dates back thousands of years ago.

It was the desire to hide or conceal the identity of a gift until it was just the right time that led people to wrap their presents.

Historians believe this originated in ancient China as far back as 105AD. The ancient Chinese were extremely advanced in their knowledge of paper making and ink and were successful in keeping this knowledge a well guarded secret from the rest of the world until 800AD when it finally surfaced in Ancient Egypt. By the year 1085, the knowledge had spread to Europe where the first paper mills were then established.

Over the years gift wrap has evolved from cloth to wallpaper during the Victorian era, to tissue paper and heavy brown paper in the 20th century and finally to the mass produced paper we see in our stores today.

 Before adhesive tapes came along, in the 1930’s, you needed to be quite skilled at securing the wrapping on your gifts with string and sealing wax.

Over the years a lot of research has been done into why we wrap gifts. The question asked was whether people preferred to receive a gift that was wrapped or not? Amazingly, this research continually showed that we have a very positive attitude towards a gift we are about to receive, if it has indeed been gift wrapped.

Today we don’t think twice about whether we should wrap our gifts or not. It’s virtually instinctual, a no-brainer.

To hold that element of surprise in your hands is so exciting. The mystery has such a powerful appeal, not to mention the pleasure it gives you, the gift-giver, when you see the utter delight on the recipient’s face when they open their gift. It’s Priceless!

And that is why we at How Thoughtful pride ourselves in making sure each and every gift we assemble and deliver, contains our signature WOW factor. We take as much care with the gift packaging as we do the gift assembly because we understand that the wrapping of a gift, is just as important as the gift itself.

Attention to detail is our speciality. Small details such as the finish of the paper, the feel of a hand-tied satin bow, the hand-cut message envelopes are all of paramount importance when creating our wonderful gifts.

Our goal is to create an incredible gift experience for each and every customer, from purchasing the perfect gifts online to the final delight of your loved ones. We look forward to assisting you with your gifting needs because surprising your loved ones with a thoughtful gift has never been so easy or so rewarding.