Lighted Christmas Tree Gift Wrap

To create the illuminated tree effect, you will need a two-piece gift box that has a lid. Wrap both pieces separately, like in television shows or movies where the gifts can be easily opened without tearing any paper.

The light source for this gift wrap is a battery-operated string of Christmas lights. Look for "fairy lights" or "moon lights," as opposed to regular Christmas lights. Fairy lights are smaller and more easily hidden. If they are not available in your local crafts store, you can find them at online retailers. Duct tape the battery back to the inside of the lid. Punch a hole in the middle of the box and thread the lights through the hole.

Cut a 12 inch x 8-inch piece of cardstock and make 1-inch accordion folds. The paper here was creased with a scoring board for exact 1-inch pleats, but you can also eyeball it.

Staple the top edge of the accordion-folded paper to create a tree shape.

Punch small holes in the paper tree with a hole punch and insert the individual fairy lights from the string of lights. There is a set distance between each light on the string, so be sure you do not space your holes farther than that distance.

Hot glue the tree to the lid, applying glue to the folds so they stick to the box when they make contact. Hot glue a paper star to the top of the tree. Now, because the lid is wrapped separately, you can open the gift box to turn on the lights right before you present your gift.