You know what’s fun? Buying people holiday gifts. You know what else is fun? Receiving them. What’s not quite as entertaining is wrapping those gifts. If you’re anything like me, the efforts of holiday wrapping usually culminate in crumpled paper, wads of tape, and a profound sense of existential dread.
One graphic designer by the name of Sheila Wong is well aware of this mess. This year, she decided to create some quirky wrapping paper that would not only help less-than-skilled wrappers cover their heaping piles of presents, but would allow them do so in a way that’d completely baffle their loved ones. It’s the best of both worlds, people.
Wong started the project so that she could “mix things up a bit.”
While she could easily have waxed poetic about the commercialism of Christmas, Wong offers a simple explanation for her grocery inspiration: “I had extra yellow paper, and it reminded me of butter.”
Works for me.
Everyone gets excited to open presents, but this designer wasn’t content with the level of mystery that we’ve all grown accustomed to. “It’s fun,” she writes, “because the reaction I usually get is ‘I need to see what’s in this!'”
Opening this to reveal a necklace would be cool, but I’d honestly be fine with someone giving me a stick of butter.
The project also allows her to recycle materials that would otherwise end up in the trash.
This one was an awesome picture book…
…until it was a chocolate bar.
And this one was a sticker wonderland…
…until fish happened.
Wong is basically my hero because she’s about to hand a loved one what looks like a package of raw meat.
I wonder if the person who gets this gift will be saddened by the fact that their box of donuts isn’t actually a box of donuts.
Promote that literacy, queen!
Sure, these packages are bound to shock and awe, but Wong’s primary concern is making people smile. “It was a lot of fun to put together,” she writes, “and I’m glad that so many other people like it, too.”
There’s something really cute about Sheila Wong’s desire to add a little whimsy to everyone’s favorite season. Who wouldn’t crack up after finding a little treasure inside of what looks like a stick of butter? Christmas trees and reindeer are cute, but these quirky designs lend the holiday season a refreshingly untraditional flair.
To see more of Wong’s work, be sure to check out her Etsy shop and follow her on Instagram!