Guide Note: Wrapping paper is commonly used to wrap Christmas gifts, both to hide the contents of the package and to add a decoration.

Fast Facts

1. Available in numerous colors and designs
2. Sold in single rolls, folded packages and sets of multiple rolls
3. Adhesive tape is generally used to secure wrap in place
4. Modern wrapping paper invented by Hallmark
5. Can be discarded or saved as a keepsake after removal from the gifts

While the tradition of wrapping gifts in general dates back to the First Century, wrapping Christmas gifts was first introduced in the United States in the 1900s. Joyce C. Hall of the Hallmark company introduced a thicker paper, printed with holiday designs as a replacement to tissue paper in 1917. Originally sold by the sheet for ten cents, the use of this thicker, more durable wrapping paper has continued in the decades since, becoming a worldwide business. Today hundreds of companies produce the decorative paper, with a variety of designs, colors and textures.