1. Waste Not Paper, a Chicago-based supplier of stationery and paper products, puts the green in gifting with its environmentally responsible wrapping paper. Solid shades such as red (shown above) and moss are 100 per cent recycled, contain 30 per cent post-consumer content and come from mills that practice sustainable forestry. Unlike that gift, you won't be torn apart. $10.75 per roll at Pistachio ( www.epistachio.com).
2 and 5. Waste Not Paper also offers up a variety of cute but not over-the-top prints to soothe your conscience. Among the patterns on the 30 per cent post-consumer recycled wraps are adorable penguins and holiday stripes (both shown above) as well as prints with retro trees and Christmas lights. $10.75 per roll at Pistachio.
3. Wrapping your presents in Japanese paper is a gift in itself. This katazome-shi sheet was painstakingly made by hand; the pigments absorb into the paper for colours that are lively and long-lasting. Trust that the person on the receiving end of the package won't tear it to shreds. Tell them to save a few pieces for framing, homemade cards and book covers instead. $16 per sheet at the Paper Place ( www.thepaperplace.ca).
4. Sure, candy cane patterns are cliché, but this jumbled candy cane print from Snow & Graham strikes the perfect balance between merry and restrained. If you have any left, cut out scraps to use as charming coasters or place settings. $5.95 per sheet at La Merceria ( www.lamerceria.ca).