It’s official: wrapping expert shows how the nation’s gifters are not making the cut at Christmas
- Celebrity wrapping expert Jane Means reveals one of the biggest festive fails – and comes to the rescue with the UK’s first-ever Car-istmas® drive‑through wrapping service
With one in five (21%) Brits saying they can’t wrap, and 60% admitting they get stressed when faced with awkwardly shaped presents, a festive boffin has explained that we’re all doing it wrong.
Partnering with The Motor Ombudsman, expert Jane Means, who has wrapped for The Royal Household and an array of celebrities, has revealed some of the biggest mistakes when it comes to concealing gifts with decorative paper and creating that all‑important element of suspense and surprise.
“Wrapping presents can seem like a simple task, but most people struggle with it,” Jane explains. “Using too little or too much paper, folding it in the wrong places, and drowning it in far too much tape can make the process much more cumbersome and stressful than it needs to be.”
A study of 2,000 Brits conducted by Perspectus Global suggests only 20% have successfully mastered the art of wrapping, with only 30% enjoying the task. More than half (51%) admit it is their least favourite part of the festive season, with 6% even handing the job to someone else if they can.
In fact, irritation runs high; 67% become annoyed if wrapping doesn’t go their way, with ‘festive frustration’ kicking in after only 16 minutes. Common niggles include, not being able to find the end of the tape (51%), it sticking in the wrong place (39%), paper running out (35%), cutting sheets too small (30%) and rolls of tape quickly vanishing due to overly generous use (29%).
One in five (21%) hate being faced with a round present, while 17% say nothing is worse than putting your finger through the paper.
It’s no surprise that when things don’t go our way, 33% have been known to tear up the wrapping paper in annoyance, 28% have hurled the tape, 22% have shouted, and 13% have even screamed. Nearly a quarter (24%) go a step further and have simply downed tools and refused to wrap anything else.
And it seems the fear of wrapping is very real for some. One in six (16%) admit they’ve handed over a gift completely unwrapped because they didn’t know how to cover it. In addition, 8% have avoided buying a certain gift they knew someone wanted because they had no idea how to wrap it.
To help ease the pressure on the nation’s ‘present preppers’ and share some essential festive tips, Jane joined forces with The Motor Ombudsman – a respected expert on all things motoring – to launch the UK’s first-ever Car‑istmas® drive‑through wrapping service.
With drivers facing an average of 18 gifts to wrap ahead of the big day, the lucky participants could simply pull up, wind down the window and hand their presents to Jane for the ‘royal treatment’. The service saved them around 56 minutes of solo wrapping stress – all without leaving the comfort of their car.
To complete the festive pit stop, mechanics were on hand to give vehicles a quick once‑over, ensuring every getaway was as safe and smooth as the wrapping itself.
It seems wrapping styles say a lot about how we handle festive pressure, with the research revealing four distinct types of wrappers across the UK. The most prominent ones are:
- ‘The Professional’ (17%), who likes every corner crisp, every bow symmetrical, and every tag written in calligraphy;
- ‘The Last-Minute Wrapper’ (16%), who at 11:58pm on Christmas Eve is surrounded by torn wrapping paper, using whatever they can find and hoping no one notices;
- ‘The Tape Enthusiast’ (14%), who uses half a roll of tape per present; and
- ‘The Crafty One’ (14%), who loves to embellish their gifts with twine, cinnamon sticks, paper cut-outs and hand-stamped paper can also be found up and down the country.
But our stress doesn’t just cover wrapping, as more than half (56%) feel equally as overwhelmed when preparing for a Christmas car journey, with heavy traffic (27%) and bad weather (18%) topping the list of travel woes. Despite this, only 9% would book a professional garage check before setting off, and more than a third (38%) have never done so.
While most drivers check tyre pressure and fluid levels, fewer take steps to prepare for the unexpected. Just 31% pack an emergency kit, and only 30% will make sure their car’s MOT, and insurance and breakdown cover are up to date. Less than a fifth (16%) admit they don’t check anything at all before a long-distance festive journey.
Alex Lindley, CEO of The Motor Ombudsman-accredited Lindleys Autocentres group of garages, which hosted the first-ever Car-istmas® drive-though, said: “To avoid any nightmares at Christmas and any unwanted interruptions to the long-awaited festive break, preparing your car for the road ahead is just as crucial in ensuring everyone and their gifts all arrive safely. This means checking all fluids are topped up to recommended levels, tyres are legal and pumped up with the right amount of air for the load being carried, all lights are working, and car batteries are working to capacity, as these can be susceptible to the colder weather if left unchecked, leading to breakdowns.
“If you’re not sure what to look out for, it’s worth heading down to a local Motor Ombudsman-accredited garage before heading off. You can never be too cautious before leaving for this traditionally very busy period for travel.”
The results of the poll also showed that planning habits vary too, with under half (45%) checking weather or allowing extra time for traffic (43%), and only 22% looking up the best time to travel to avoid congestion. Furthermore, only 41% said they would check their route in advance.
JANE’S TOP TIPS TO ACHIEVE THE PERFECT WRAP:
- When wrapping a box, use double‑sided tape, as it will give a professional finish and seamless look. Ensure you don’t have too much excess paper, as it will be more difficult to wrap.
- For awkward gifts, choose a flexible material such as fabric, tissue or cellophane, as it will mould around the shape more easily than paper.
- Wrap really bulky and large items in a paper tablecloth. It is much easier than joining paper and is inexpensive.
- For extra‑large gifts, use plain brown packing paper as a base, then add a strip of decorative or Christmas print across the middle, and finish with ribbon. This will make a cheap, eye‑catching feature and ensure the ribbon doesn’t look lost on the item.
- Write your tags first and place them on top of the presents you are wrapping, as there is nothing more annoying than wrapping several gifts and not remembering who they are for!
- Add finishing touches to your presents, including fresh foliage, baubles, feathers and recycled Christmas decorations.
- Be organised and buy lots of supplies early, including non‑Christmas wrap that can be used all year round. You always need more materials than you think, so bulk buy.
- Inject some personalisation to really give the ‘wow’ factor. You could tie in dried flowers for a gardener, wrap in music scores for a musician or photocopy old photos for a school friend.
- If you are running short of time, bundle a couple of gifts together. A stack of presents looks very effective and will save on materials.
- Enjoy the experience, and make some time for yourself with a tipple and some favourite music. You could even invite friends around and have a wrapping party.
To view The Motor Ombudsman’s ‘Car-istmas’ tips for a festive getaway, visit www.TheMotorOmbudsman.org/Car-istmas.
“To avoid any nightmares at Christmas and any unwanted interruptions to the long-awaited festive break, preparing your car for the road ahead is just as crucial in ensuring everyone and their gifts all arrive safely.”
Alex Lindley
CEO at Lindleys AutocentresENDS
The research was conducted by Perspectus Global among a sample of 2,000 Brits. The data was collected between 14.11.25 to 18.11.25. Perspectus Global abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles.
Car-istmas® is a trademark of The Motor Ombudsman Limited.
