How to 'Wrap' those funny shaped Christmas Gifts

Right, after much searching, you've found the perfect gift; one that's completely right for the person you've bought it for. But now you've got to wrap it and you've realized that this gift just happens to be one of those impossible-to-wrap gifts. And I've had my fair share of those.

Maybe the gift is oddly shaped and won't fit in a box. Maybe the gift is digital and doesn't have a physical form. Or maybe the gift is too big and can't fit through your door. Here are ideas about how you can easily "wrap" even the most impossible gift.

Odd Shaped Gifts

Some gifts really were never meant to be wrapped. Try one of these ideas to get that oddly shaped gift properly covered.

- Gift bags are a popular way to wrap an oddly shaped gift. Just place the gift in the bag and cover with brightly colored tissue paper.

- Put a large sheet of wrapping paper on the floor, design side down. Place the gift in the middle, and pull the four corners of the paper up and toward the middle. Close the top by tying the corners with a festive ribbon. I did this with a sort of curved food tray/basket and it worked really well.

Gifts You can't physically touch

Our modern computer age has brought a whole new challenge to wrapping gifts, those gifts like electronic books, downloaded software, or downloaded music. These ideas will turn your digital gift into something that can still go under the tree.

- Burn the files for the digital gift onto a CD. Alternatively, buy a thumb drive or memory stick and copy the digital files onto the memory device.

- Print the download instructions for the digital gift. Then purchase (or make) a Christmas card and include the printed instructions inside the card.

Gifts Too Big to Fit Under a Tree

For large gifts first find a "safe" hiding place. Some shops may allow you to store the present at their store until just before Christmas. Alternatively, perhaps your garage or a storage shed can serve as a good hiding spot. You might even consider using a neighbor's garage (and getting your neighbor's permission first is probably a good idea!).

With the gift in a safe spot you can still "wrap" the present and put it under the tree with one of these ideas.

- Use a Christmas card (or make one either by hand or using your computer) and announce the gift inside the card.

- Wrap a small item to represent the gift and put it under the tree. Try to choose an item that hints at what the present is without immediately revealing the secret. For example, you might use a bike tire pump to represent a new bike, a car owner's manual to represent a new car (I think most of us won't be giving a gift this big), or a house key to represent a new house (this one requires some possession of sizable wealth), a holiday brochure for a holiday and so on, you get the idea.

With a little bit of ingenuity and lateral thinking those oddly shaped or large presents need not be a problem to wrap. So don't let the impossibility of wrapping a gift keep you from selecting the present that is right for the person you're buying it for.

Use one of these great ideas to get that present "wrapped" and "under the tree."