Wrapping Paper Christmas Tree Tutorial (12 Days of Green Christmas Crafts)

Do you ever cringe at all of the wrapping paper you throw out on Christmas? One way to be a little greener next time you wrap a gift is to use your child's artwork, paper grocery bags, or dish towels and yarn to wrap presents.

But since we all pull out the gift wrap sometimes, how can we reuse it to make something cute? Go pull some out of your recycling bin and make this adorable wrapping paper Christmas tree to use as a decoration next year.

Gift bags, tissue paper, and wrapping paper from the presents we opened

Cut a block of styrofoam from one of the gifts you received (You can also stack up cardboard and tie it together).

Stick a bamboo skewer (the kind you use to make shish kabob) into the foam block.

Start cutting squares of gift wrap and thread it onto the skewer. Begin with small squares, and push them all the way to the end. You can put a few of the same size squares together, but slowly graduate them by cutting larger and larger squares and threading them on.

Alternating between using tissue paper and gift wrap makes your tree fluffier. Once you have filled up about 2/3 of the length of the bamboo skewer, stick it into the foam block. Wrap some tissue paper around the block and secure it with ribbon. (I used the handle of one of the gift bags). Crumple some more tissue paper and add it to the top of the tree. Voila! This is a fun one for the kids, too!

Do you recycle your wrapping paper? Do you put them in the recycling bin or use them to create a fun craft? Share what you do in the comments below!

Check out some of the other 12 Days of Green Christmas Crafts:

December 14:  Felt Owl Ornaments	December 15: Burlap Ruffled Tree Skirt	December 16: Easy Advent Calendars
December 17: Quick Gift Tags from Kids' Artwork	December 18: Homemade Holiday Banner	December 19: Torn Paper Snowman
December 20: Book Paper Christmas Tree	December 21: Tin Can Luminaries	December 24: A Sleigh and 8 Tiny Reindeer

You can also find more cute crafts at: