Jessica Klinkenberg
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, December 19, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Gift wrapping not your forte?

Some stores in Yellowknife have been offering shoppers the option of getting someone to do the wrapping for them.

Skylar Urschel shows off the finished product of a professional wrapping job done at Linco's Pottery Nook on Saturday. The store is offering free Christmas wrapping for presents purchased at the store. - Jessica Klinkenberg/NNSL photo

Skylar Urschel and Kellen Richards at Linco's Pottery Nook said the key to the art of wrapping is finding the right box.

"Perfectly square boxes are really easy to wrap," said Urschel. "I had to wrap a rolling pin once. It was really awkward."

Richards has even gone through the store's storage to find a box to fit a gift a customer had purchased. She said that when she found the perfect box the wrapping was easy from there.

The wrapping paper is another thing to consider.

"If it's good quality paper it shouldn't wrinkle at the corners," said Urschel.

That's what she's found when she's wrapping both at the store and at home.

And to add style to a gift, consider adding a ribbon.

"I measure the ribbon over the gift about four times," said Richards.

Both of the women at Linco's said because of their experience wrapping at the store, they end up wrapping at home as well.

Urschel said her friends expect the best wrapping from her when she gives them a gift.

"If they're not (happy) they'll send them back," she joked.

"My dad makes me wrap my mom's gifts," said Richards.

"My dad makes me wrap everybody's gifts," said Urschel.

So what's been the biggest gift for them to wrap?

"A suitcase," said Richards.

"I think it was a computer or something," said Urschel.

The bigger the gift, the more effort it takes to wrap, Urschel said.

"For something that big you have to wrap the paper around twice."

Richards said she once wrapped a lamp and that took a lot of work, especially since it was a delicate job as well.

In the end though, their best tip for making Christmas wrapping a breeze was the box.